Gundam Wing: Behind the Scenes
by Astro
Summary: I was rummaging through some of my old files when I stumbled upon this. It's short, but hopefully funny. Hope you like it. ^_~
1. Default Chapter Title

## Gundam Wing:

Behind the Scenes 

* * *

In every movie and television show, it is a rule of thumb that there will be blunders and mistakes that will require a scene to be shot multiple times for the actors to get it right, no exceptions. Sometimes, the audience is treated to a sampling of these "outtakes" and see how their favorite actors react under less than perfect conditions. 

Well, good news GW fans! I have a copy of a few of these outtakes from one of the GW series episodes. When the completed version of this scene was integrated into Episode 25, it made for a very dramatic moment for GW veiwers! But behind the scenes, it was quite a different situation... 

* * *

**Episode 25: Quatre vs. Heero  
Scene: Lady Une gets shot  
Take: One  
**

Director: And… action! 

[Lady Une has made it to the lunar base and is now poised to press the button that will save the lives of the scientists and Duo and Wufei.] Une: ...This kind of wrongdoing under the OZ is nothing. [She presses the button to release oxygen into the cells. However, the craftsmanship is bad, and the console falls apart at her touch.] 

Director: CUT! 

[Une stares blankly at the camera as crew members rush towards her, brushing the sawdust off her space suit.] 

Une: Wha--? I-- I barely touched it... 

[Tsuberov falls to the floor laughing.] 

Une: [Suddenly very angry] Idiots! How can I work with such idiots! [Stalks away] 

**Take: Two**

[The console is fixed.] 

Director: Okay, people, places! And… action! 

[Une approaches the console, a little wary this time, then presses the button.] --*~~*ZZZZTT!!*~~*-- 

Une: Aaahh! 

[Duo and Quatre jump out from behind the console with an electric buzzer, laughing hysterically. Tsuberov, again, falls to the floor laughing. Une is very angry, and storms toward the camera.] 

Director: CUT! Duo, you're supposed to be on set 5 with Wufei! Quatre! WHY aren't you filming with Heero and Trowa?! 

Cameraman: Uh-oh. 

Une: Do you see this? Do you see what I have to put up with? I demand that order be restored to this set! [Lady Une knocks over the camera in her anger, which is still filming, now on its side, looking up at Une at an odd angle from the floor.] The Lady Une will not tolerate this incompetence! 

[Wufei casually walks by and pulls off Une's glasses. Une looks confused for a moment, then smiles sweetly.] 

Une: Oh, are we on a break already? Can I interest anyone in some coffee or tea? [More giggling from Duo and Quatre.] 

Director: Wu-FEI!!! 

**Take: Three**

Tsubarov: Lady Une, you're too naïve. 

Une: True, I'm a naïve person, but… oh, wait…. LINE! 

Director: CUT!! 

**Take: Four**

Tsubarov: Lady Une, you're too naïve. 

Une: True, I'm a naïve soldier, but as a human being, I live seriously. 

[Tsubarov is poised to fire his gun, but before he can do so, Wufei jumps out of the shadows wielding his katana.] 

Wufei: Hii-yah! [slashing near Une's head] 

Director: CUT!!! Wufei! WHAT are you doing?!? 

Wufei: I thought this scene could use a little more flair, and what better way than with a swordfight? 

Director: [shaking his head] Wufei, please go back to stage 5 and stay there! You're supposed to be meditating! 

Wufei: What? It was a good idea! Look at it on film! GW fans want to see more katana! [Wufei does some stylish poses with his sword.] 

Une: You stupid idiot! You almost killed me with that thing!! 

Wufei: Uh-oh! [runs away with Une close behind him] AAAHH!! 

Astro: Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed it. 

Wufei: Stop narrating, woman! Save me from this schizoid! 

Une: I heard that, you ponytailed baka! [Wufei runs away, screaming, again.] 

Astro: [ignoring Wufei as he runs back and forth across the set, trying to avoid Une who now holds his katana] I'm sure there'll be more in the future. 

[To the left, Wufei squeals as he is captured by Lady Une.] 

Une: Ha! Now I've gotcha! [she grabs Wufei's ponytail, somehow yanking it tighter than it already is] 

Wufei: No! Let go! 

Astro: After all... 

[Une has a very eager expression on her face as she holds up the katana.] 

Astro: The cast of Gundam Wing is *full* of surprises... 

**SWISH** 

Wufei: MY HAIR!!!!!!! 


	2. Default Chapter Title

  
CHAPTER 1  
  
An overwhelming feeling of familiarity swept over me as I entered my sister's house. I wasn't planning on coming today. I had a lot of work to do in this particular weekend, but I had to see my niece. She was turning 16 today. There was no way I would miss out on this milestone in her life.  
  
"Auntie Sharon! You came!" Mia was bouncing off the walls. "I thought you would be too busy."  
  
"I can always take time out to see my favorite niece on her birthday." I smiled. "So, how does it feel to finally be 16?"  
  
"I don't feel any different. It just feels like any other day except that you're here and uncle Brad is coming!" My eyes widened at her last statement. Brad was coming to my sister's house? Wasn't he busy touring with Structure? Well, Brad was always going out of his way to make Mia feel special. Why should today be any different?  
  
"Oh, have you told him you've got a mini-crush on his friend Rich?"I asked slyly. It always amazed me to see the hero worship in her eyes whenever she saw the three guys. It also warmed my heart to see her get shy around Rich.  
  
"But I don't, auntie Sha!" As I looked at her, I saw her mother's sweetness and her father's good looks-- or her father's good looks with an Asian flavor to them. I couldn't help but wish for a child like her.  
  
I looked at Mia, tried to suppress a smile and said, "No, I guess you don't. But I do have to ask that question that every auntie is supposed to ask when you come of age. Do you have a boyfriend?"  
  
Mia colored slightly and said, "No, of course not!" Then she paused to think, "Do you?"  
  
It was my turn to blush. My track record with guys wasn't so hot. "No, I don't. I'm not even seeing anybody, Mia." Working for Duran and Anderson didn't afford me much time to meet anyone either. I saw a little glint in Mia's eye. What was she planning? I decided to shrug it off for now. It was a good thing, because the doorbell rang. I  
went to go open the door.  
  
Upon opening the door, I saw Brad looking totally unlike himself. He was wearing baggy khakis, an oversized blue and white checkered shirt, a yellow tie, and a beige colored cap that he wore backwards. To top off his outfit, he wore a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. It wasn't an ensemble that I was used to seeing him in. I couldn't help gawking as he walked through the door. He cocked  
his head to the side and grinned.  
  
"You didn't think that I'd miss my favorite niece's sweet 16, did you?" I had the definite impression that he was laughing at me.  
  
"No, I knew you were coming. Mia told me. It's just that you're not dressed in the stuff I'm used to seeing you in." I could have kicked myself for my tactlessness. Wasn't I supposed to be the public relations agent?  
  
"What, you don't like it?" The puppy dog look he had on his face was killing me. "Is it the glasses?"  
  
"NO! I like it," I said in the most reassuring way possible. "I'm just surprised." He seemed to take that answer well. "You look really good, as always," I added for good measure. Then, I threw in a smile to show him that I meant what I said.  
  
"You too, Sha. You looked so sophisticated, I hardly recognized you under all that polish and shine."  
  
"Well, it comes with the new job," I tried to swallow my misery.  
  
"You don't sound too happy," He commented. I guess I didn't try hard enough.  
  
"Well, I'm doing public relations for people I don't respect and I feel like I've hit this professional wall....." I felt like I was losing him, so I stopped.  
  
"I think I know what you mean. Real life didn't leave you with too much room for idealism, did it?" He gave me a reassuring look. How did he know?  
  
"Yeah, well, I have to work." I let out a resigned sigh.  
  
"If another job offer came your way, would you take it?" I wondered where his question was coming from and decided that he was just making conversation.  
  
"Of course! This is, after all, my first real job."  
  
"Well, I'm sure there will be other offers. I'm sure you'll be a hot commodity in no time." There he was, being sweet as always. He had this way of making people feel special.  
  
"Sha-sha, could you come here and help us with the pancit?" My mother and sister were calling me from the kitchen.  
  
"Refresh my memory. Pancit is the Filipino dish with the noodles, right?" Brad was learning. I couldn't help but smile as I headed off to the kitchen. I was picturing him scmoozing with the rest of my Filipino relatives. That was going to be a sight to see.  
  
***Part II  
  
The relief that Brad felt leaving the Nicolas house was overwhelming. It was good to see Mia and Sha again, but their relatives had...... distinctive personalities, to put it nicely. He liked them, but too many of them at once-- well, it was overwhelming. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to go through that again for some time. That was one huge family. Lucky for him, he had Sharon by his side to help him with names, mannerisms, and give him some moral support. He would have been up a creek without her.  
  
"Sharon Nicolas, you are a life saver!" he exclaimed to the empty passenger seat. He thought about the petite Filipina. She seemed so empty lately. She was at a job she hated. She had no love-life to speak of. Although, he was a tiny bit happy about that. After what Lyle had put her through, she could use a lot of breathing time. He still wondered, though, at a comment she had made. She told him that there was no one asking.... no one interested. Why was that? She was a very attractive woman. She had an hour-glass figure, a cute lopsided smile, dimples, and the eyes of a dreamer. She was also intelligent and talented. Wait, why was he even thinking about her this way again? He'd grown out of his crush on her years ago. At any rate, it didn't matter if he had or not, she'd never see him as anything more than Michael's little brother. He shrugged off the feeling.  
  
He picked up the cell phone and dialed his best friend's number. "Hi, Rich?.... It's me..... Oh, yeah..... I kinda forgot about the time difference thing...... Yeah, I'm still out in California....... Yes, I will be in Pittsburg tomorrow..... Listen, do you think we could use another public relations agent?....... Yeah, I think Sharon could use the change of pace........ Yeah..... Well, that's great then....... Why? Well, she seems miserable where she is now........ I just thought I'd help out a friend....... She's great....... Yeah, I'd love to be 16 again....... Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."   
  
Rich turned off his phone. He should have known better than to leave it on. It was 3:00 am where he was. He shook his head. Brad was still hooked on Sharon, even if he couldn't admit it to himself. It's funny, sometimes he could swear that Sharon Nicolas was jonesing for the boy, too. That was impossible. Well, things were going to get interesting soon. Sha was coming aboard their dream-team of lawyers, agents, and other indespensible people who kept the group afloat.  
  
Sharon pulled into her driveway and was surprised to see another car parked there. She turned into her walkway and saw Brad standing there. Her heart involuntarily leapt into her throat. What was he doing there? She wondered. Shouldn't he be on a flight to Pittsburg?  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked with a smile.  
  
"How'd you like to add a little excitement to your life?"   
  
"What do you mean?" He noticed how cute she looked when her brow was furrowed in confusion.  
  
"I'm here to offer you a job."  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
  
I couldn't believe it! I was to finish the tour with the band and follow them to Boston. It was incredible. I didn't have to work for those stuffed shirts anymore. There was no longer a line of asses to kiss. The only people I had to answer to were Brad, Rich, and Alvin. Sure, I had to work with some lawyers, agents, and more people like me, but I had a voice this time. Things were wonderful.  
  
"So, Sha, how do you like this hectic life so far?" Brad asked as he sat beside me on the jet.  
  
"It's funny, the more hectic it gets, the more energy I have," I told him.  
  
"I know, that's the fun part." He smiled as he reclined the seat.  
"I never woulda thought Michael's little brother would be a music star..... I never woulda thought I'd be here, also," I mused.  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Alvin asked.  
  
"I was just musing over the past-- how i used to have a crush on Brad," I teased. "Just kidding. I think I'll go over and talk to Rich."  
  
Alvin always bothered me. He seemed too open. He was also a bit arrogant for my taste. It seemed to me that he thought that he was God's gift to women. I know that's not exactly true. He is a nice guy, but I always had that feeling. He was always overshooting. He put up this front. I had no idea what it meant, so I generally took every opportunity to avoid him.  
  
"Why don't you like Alvin?" Rich asked.  
  
"It's not that I don't like him. It's just that I have nothing in common with him. I can't really talk to him," I answered. That was part of the truth.  
  
"There's something else, Sharon." Well, Brad apparently wasn't the only one who could see through me. I must be as transparent as glass.  
  
"Not really." I had to try, though. Then, I thought the better of it. "I don't really feel comfortable around him. I feel like he's trying to figure me out and he's putting on this front that I can't make heads or tails of."  
  
"That's because he's interested in you." I searched his face. Rich's expression was deadpan.  
  
"Come off it!" I said.  
  
"I'm dead serious, Sha. He's interested in you." I stared at him for a minute and then laughed.  
  
"I suppose the next thing you'll be telling me is that Brad is hopelessly in love with me," I chuckled.  
  
"He is." Rich was such a kidder.  
  
"I'm going to sleep."  
  
*** Part II  
  
Rich looked at Sharon. She had no idea that he was telling her the truth. He supposed that it was just as well. His friends would have killed him if she had. She had no idea how intrigued Alvin was by her. He constantly went out of his way to try to impress her. She just assumed that it was his natural bravado. He couldn't help but laugh at Alvin's latest attempt. He "accidently" spilled a drink on his shirt and decided that it needed to be removed. This ruse only succeeded in disgusting  
Sharon and making Brad jealous. As for Brad, Sharon was obviously smitten by him. She just didn't know it yet. She also didn't know how much he was in love with her. All of his looks of longing were lost on her. She just shrugged off his constant desire to be around her as a desire to spend time with a friend. They'll figure it out, he thought. As he drifted off to sleep, he reflected on how he had come to think of Sharon Nicolas as a kid sister. It was funny how the world kept on getting smaller.  
  
Brad's eyes drifted over to Sha and Rich as Alvin was talking. He didn't know how much more of Alvi's babbling he could take. Didn't Alvin understand that Sha didn't have any interest in him? He felt anger rising in him as he thought about Alvi's latest attempt at getting her attention. Couldn't that be considered sexual harrassment? Well, Alvin was Alvin,  
and he didn't know that Brad was in love with Sharon. He wasn't trying to make Brad miserable. Brad kept telling himself this, but he was still getting annoyed at hearing Alvin talk about his lust for the girl. He didn't want to hear about what Alvi would with her if he got the chance. He felt like socking him and telling him to keep his hands off his girl! The problem was, she wasn't his. She never was.  
  
"Alvin, please!" Brad finally snapped. "I have known her since we were eight years old! I really don't want to hear it. It's disturbing!"  
  
"Sorry, bro. I understand. If you were talking the same way about my sister, I'da socked you by now." Brad felt guilty. He should be more supportive of his friend, but the love he had for this woman made him crazy.  
  
"No, I'm sorry. I should be more encouraging. It's just......"  
  
"Yeah, I know. Look, she's probably not interested in me, anyways. Look at the way she's leaning on Rich in her sleep." Brad could once again feel the jealousy rising through his body. Then, it dissipated. Rich was the only one who knew how he felt about this girl. He also had this ridiculous notion that Sharon returned the feeling. He had nothing to worry about.  
  
"Imma move over there, bro. Hope you don't mind. I'd like to be alone with my thoughts," Brad said as he got up. He plopped down opposite Rich and Sharon.   
  
* * *  
  
He still remembered when they first met. It was at his oldest brother's wedding to her sister. He was the ring bearer and she was the flower girl. Their siblings thought it would be cute to dress them up as a mini bride and groom. Things didn't exactly go according to plan. His cousin started bullying the poor girl right before the ceremony. He stole her head piece, and flower basket and Sharon started to cry. Her sister was frantic. The mini veil and the basket were both retrieved, but Sha just couldn't stop crying. The more people told her to stop the more she cried. That was probably because they all told her that she was ruining the ceremony. They couldn't have the flowergirl crying down the aisle. That was when Brad, in an act of chivalry, took Sha's viel, placed it on her head, wiped away her tears, took her by the arm, and was poised to walk her down the aisle. Sha got control of her tears, and the wedding went off without a hitch. Since then, the two had been close friends despite the fact he lived in Jersey and she lived in Los Angeles.  
  
They spent their summers together. They were karaeoke buddies. They played softball together. He taught her how to throw a football. She taught him how to surf. They played with Mia and caused Rhona, Sha's sister, much anxiety. They talked about school. They talked about music. They played many a duet on her parents' piano. Brad looked forward to spending his summers in California because of her. He saw her as one of the guys. Then, things changed. Suddenly everything was different.  
  
He remembered it like it was yesterday. It was the summer after their freshman year of high school. His brother Michael picked him up from the airport. Riding in the car, he was could hardly wait till they reached their destination. His skills at basketball had improved greatly over the past year, and he couldn't wait to whoop Sha's ass. He was holding the basketball as he entered the house. He smiled when he heard Sha talking to Mia. They were in the kitchen.  
  
"He dumped sand on your shoes because he likes you, Mia. That's just how boys are."  
  
"Boys are icky!" shouted his niece. Way to go, Mia, he thought.  
  
"Hey, how's my favorite little niece?" he asked as he turned into the kitchen.  
  
"Uncle Brad! I'm not little, I'm six years old!" he couldn't help but grin at his niece. "Auntie Sha-sha thinks I'm big!" His eyes drifted to Sharon. He was shocked at what he saw. Sha was still dressed in her trademark J. Crew/ Eddie Bauer/ Abercrombie & Fitch attire, but she looked different. Her hips had filled out, and so had her sweater vest.  
Her hair hung down past her shoulders. He was breathless. Why hadn't he noticed how beautiful she was before?  
  
"You look different, Sha." He said with a smile. Michael looked at Rhona. Rhona nodded. They knew that the boy had fallen.  
  
"Really? I don't think I've changed that much. I'm probably a little less chunky than before.... but that's about it. You ready for that b-ball rematch?"  
  
"Basketball?" Brad couldn't think. This cute girl was talking about basketball?  
  
"Yeah, you said on the phone that you'd try whoopin' my ass on the court." Oh, he wanted to do a little something different with her ass at that moment. Wait! This was Sha that he was lusting after! What kind of sick pervert was he? This was his sister-in-law's kid sister! He was suddenly glad that his sweater was tied around his waist. Otherwise, Sha  
would have seen exactly how his sick mind was working.  
  
"Sorry, Sha.... I'm feeling a little dizzy right now," Brad said. It was the lamest excuse that he could think of. It didn't help that his brother was laughing at him.  
  
"It's just as well, I guess that I'll tell Keith he can come over, then," Sha said rather absently.  
  
"Oh, Keith is the guy she's seeing," Michael interjected with a chuckle.  
  
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Brad muttered under his breath. Sha reached up and felt his forehead and wiped away the cold sweat that was there.  
  
"You really are sick," she said with a look of concern. "Let me get you upstairs." He blushed as he added a double meaning to her words. Her chest lightly brushed against his torso, and her hip dug into his thigh. He felt like he was going to explode, literally. Michael saw the growing frustration on his brother's face.  
  
"I know what's wrong with him, Sha. I'll take it from here. Just stay here and pour him a glass of orange juice. I'll be down to get it for him in a second." Sha gave Michael a confused look, but obeyed.  
  
"It's okay, Bradley. You don't have anything a cold shower can't fix. The dizziness you're experiencing happens when all the blood from your brain rushes to your little friend too fast." Michael chuckled again.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Haha! I've been there, little brother.... with her sister, remember?"  
  
Since then, Brad had been in the throes of unrequited love. He suffered through the romances in her life. Keith turned out to be just a friend, but there was Charles. She spent most of her time talking about him, thinking about him, and torturing herself over him. It amazed him how this guy could treat her the way he did. She spent years throwing herself  
at him, and he just treated her like crap.   
  
"She cries about him all the time, Brad. I don't know how to get through to her! How do I tell her that she doesn't deserve this?" Rhona asked, hoping that Brad would be able to reach her little sister.  
  
"I don't even know what he looks like... She never shows me any pictures of him. I know she doesn't deserve this type of treatment, but maybe he's physically attractive. Maybe that's the only reason she holds on to these feelings." Brad was brainstorming aloud.  
  
Rhona showed Brad a snapshot of his beloved with Charles. He was shocked at how ugly the guy was. His body was built like that of a constipated turtle. It also looked like his face had truly been vommited out of his neck. This was the guy Sharon was pining over? So, not only was this guy a jerk, he was ugly, too? He was eating his heart out because of THIS  
GUY??!!!! What did he have that Brad didn't? A 4.0 GPA, and Sharon's love, he told himself.  
  
He walked upstairs to the room Sha usually stayed in. She was there, crying, once again, into her pillow. Brad sat on the bed and stroked her hair. She sat up and moved into his arms. It felt good to hold her, even if she was crying. The feelings that ran through her were overwhelming. She felt safe, secure. The pain seemed to lessen the tighter Brad held  
her. He fought the urge to hold her head in his hands.... to kiss her. That wasn't what she needed right now. After she was done crying, there was a question in his eyes. She just didn't know what that question was.  
  
"It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't feel that he loves me. In spite of all the arguing and the way he puts me down in public, I still feel like he loves me.... I can't let go of that." She tried to explain to her best friend why she put up with Charles. "What everybody calls verbal abuse is his feeble attempt at banter... he's just trying to be witty. He's just trying to be accepted."  
  
"Sharon, it shouldn't be at your expence." Tears were welling up in his eyes. "You deserve so much more than this."  
  
"Yeah, I know that.... but I don't feel it. Brad, it's like I'm caged up in my own emotions." That was something he could relate to. He pulled her up against him, and kissed the top of her head.  
  
Sharon freed herself from her emotional bondage a few months before she graduated from high school. Brad never knew the specifics, but he knew that she was finally ready to move on with her life. He smiled as she gushed on the phone about the improvement in her social life. She was actually going to the prom... with his cousin Derek. Well, it was a step  
in the right direction. He only wished that he could be the one to take her. He would have died for an excuse to fly out from Jersey.  
  
He was fingering her picture when the phone rang. His heart stopped. He hoped that it was Sharon. He checked himself. How pathetic was this? He should really try to move on with his life. She was probably out with her new friends, imagining how great the prom was going to be-- without him.  
  
"Hello, Maschetti residence, Brad speaking."  
  
"Brad, pack for the weekend. You're coming out here." It was his brother.  
  
"What is this about? Is Mia alright?" Then, a horrible thought hit him. "Is Sharon....?"  
  
"They're fine, Brad.... we just need you out here."  
  
"For what?" Normally, Brad would jump at the chance to go to California, but he didn't want to see Sharon spend a romantic night with his cousin.  
  
"Derek's come down with the measles. I thought that you might want to, I don't know.... visit." Brad could hear his brother's hint over the many miles that separated them.  
  
"Hey, I do have a four day weekend." Brad said with a smile.   
  
The night was everything that Sharon expected it would be. She had fun dancing with her best friend. Brad had a great time that night, too. He had an excuse to dance closely with Sha. He took every opportunity to hold her close. Sharon was the envy of many a girl that night. They wondered who this hottie was. They all saw how he was looking at her. Everyone except Sharon saw how he was looking at her. The intense gaze that she missed would have told her exactly how he felt about her. Charles, who showed up alone, saw everything he was missing out on. It was funny, when someone finally validated his feelings for her, she no longer returned his feelings. Now, there she was with a guy who gave her what he never could, and most of the other girls there were drooling.  
  
They went to the Santa Monica pier afterwards. Hand in hand, they stood looking out onto the ocean. Sharon felt a little tug on her heart strings, but shrugged it off to the emotion that was irrevocably attached to the night. Brad wanted to savor the moment forever. Unbeknownst to them, an artist captured the moment on his sketch pad.  
  
"Thank you for doing this for me," Sharon said. Then she kissed him on the cheek. If his face gave him away, she didn't notice.  
  
"You didn't have to thank me," he said slipping his arms around her shoulders. They called it a night and headed home. While she was asleep in the car, he said, "I love you, Sha. I just wish you'd tell me what to do about it."  
  
They went off to college. Sharon met Lyle. Brad met Rich and Brian and dropped out of school. He convinced himself that he was over Sharon and that she belonged with Lyle. He immersed himself in music and his career occasionally making time to see Mia. He saw Sharon whenever Lyle allowed her out of his sight.   
  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
  
Sharon and Lyle were a great looking pair. Their pictures looked like they came with the frame. However, all that glittered was not gold as far as their relationship was concerned. Brad could see that. It wasn't just that Lyle seemed possessive. It wasn't even the fact that he always seemed to paranoid to let Sharon out of his sight. Those things bothered  
Brad, but not as much as the fear he saw in her eyes whenever she realized that she was running a little late. He repeatedly asked Sharon about this. She always told him he was imagining things, but the look was always there. She was afraid to leave and she was afraid to stay. It was always the same. He would give her a concerned look, then he would let her go despite the fear that squeezed his chest.  
  
"You're right to be worried about her," Rich told him after she left one day. "She's got the look of a caged animal."  
  
"I choose to trust her, man." He was saying it more to himself than to Rich. "But sometimes...."  
  
"She's afraid of something, bro." Brad knew his friend was right.  
  
It wasn't too long after that their fears were validated. Everyone found out exactly what was going on with Sharon's relationship at a get-together Rhona and Michael decided to throw for the band. The guys were spending Thanksgiving in California, and Michael told Brad to bring Rich and Brian. Surprisingly, Sharon showed up without Lyle, but all could tell that he was still influencing her from wherever he was. It was Rich who discovered it first. He was helping Rhona transport the gravy to the dining room when he bumped into Sharon, who was almost too distracted to notice anything out of the ordinary. The result was spilled gravy, all over their shirts.  
  
"Oh, Sha will take you upstairs. She can put on one of my shirts and you can wear one of Michael's sweaters," said Rhona, who was still busy cooking in the kitchen.  
  
When they got to Rhona and Michael's bedroom, they agreed to change with their backs facing one another. Rich changed in a matter of seconds. He assumed that Sharon was finished and turned around. He saw the bruises all over her back, and he stared in shock.  
  
"Oh my God!" he said. She gasped and threw her sister's sweater on.  
  
"Don't tell anyone. Please, Rich!" She grabbed his arm as he headed out the door.  
  
"What do you want me to do? Pretend I didn't see that?!" He shouted.  
  
"Yes!" she shouted back.  
  
"Sharon....." He tried to still her, but she flinched in pain.  
  
"You don't understand, Rich. It's not what you think," she said, rather lamely.  
  
"Don't tell me that this is some sick twisted version of S&M that you two made up," he said sarcastically.  
  
"No, it's just that..... Well, he thought I cheated on him with you or Brad...... I understand where his anger comes from....." She tried desperately to make Rich understand.  
  
"Don't give me that!"He shouted. "There is absolutely no excuse for that!" He spat out the words. "He has to be dealt with."  
  
"NOOOOOOO!" she screamed. "He'll kill you all!" She tried her best to hold back the sobs.  
  
"Sharon, if we don't do something, he could kill YOU!" He spoke forcefully. "Do you understand that?!"  
  
The door opened. "What the hell is going on in here?!" Brad asked. His face was contorted with confusion. "I come up to use the bathroom, and I hear Rich yelling!"  
  
"Rich and I were just having an argument about some of his lyrics," Sharon lied calmly.  
  
"That is a LIE!" shouted Rich.  
  
"Close the door, Mia will hear you!" Sha hissed at him.  
  
"Will someone please tell me what this is all about?" Brad pleaded.  
  
"Lyle beat Sharon." Rich laid it out point blank.  
  
"He's joking, Brad..." Sha sounded utterly unconvincing. She started pacing and moving her hands around frantically. "He's just joking..."  
  
Brad grabbed Sharon in an effort to still her, and she cried out in pain. "See?" said Rich. "Lift up her sweater and look at her back." Brad did as he said and saw bruises and some scars.  
  
"I'll kill him!" he shouted. "I'll fucking kill the bastard!"  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" She was screaming and weeping at the same time. This time, everybody in the living room heard her. Brian, Rhona, Michael, Sha's parents, and Mia came running up the stairs. They found Brad and Rich  
tightly hugging Sharon. Brad tilted his head over to Mia. Her grandmother took her downstairs. And thus, the truth came out. Sharon's father was up in arms ready to run down Lyle with his huge jeep. Michael protectively held his wife as she exclaimed, "I'll castrate the son-of-a-bitch." Brian cracked his knuckles.  
  
When everybody calmed down, they left Brad to straighten things out with Sharon. He was still holding her tight against his chest. His sweater was soaked with her tears. He was afraid to let her go.... Afraid because he thought that if he did, Lyle would hurt her again.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, kid?" he finally asked. "Didn't you know that you could trust me?"  
  
"He was gonna come after you and Rich," she sobbed. He held her tighter.  
  
"He's not going to touch you or Rich. I won't let him." To Sha, Brad never sounded so sure of himself than he did at that moment.  
  
"But what about you? I couldn't take it if anything happened to you." She sounded so helpless. Then, it hit him.  
  
"You put up with this to protect us?" he asked incredulously. He lifted her chin to search for the answer. The look in her eyes said it all. "You did!"  
  
"You are one of my best friends and Rich is like a brother to me," Sha quietly murmured.  
  
He sat her down on the bed, and pulled up the foot stool. "We're big boys, Sha. We can take care of ourselves." He grasped her hand. "How long has this been going on?" he asked suddenly. It occurred to him that she was with him for three years. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Sha, how long?"  
  
"Since the first time he saw me with you." Almost since the beginning! He wanted to bash the guys head in. How could Lyle punish her for Brad's crime? He was the one who lusted after her. "It got worse when Rich and I started clicking." God! The guy was a controlling bastard.  
  
"You're not going back there. You can stay with us if you have to. We've got a little bit of security..." He pulled her against him again. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I loved you guys too much to put you in the middle of this.... and Mia....." She started shivering involuntarily. My god, did he--?  
  
"Did he make you....? Did he force you....?" Brad couldn't make the words come out, but he had to know whether the bastard forced himself on her. She understood what he was asking.  
  
"No," she said, clinging to him. "We never even... anymore..." she looked up at Brad to see if he understood what she was saying. He did. "That's why he thought you and me.... and then Rich...." Thank goodness Lyle had left her at least that. He would have torn Lyle to pieces if he had taken that from her.  
  
As it turned out, Sharon didn't have to worry about Lyle. He was arrested on a DUI in his home state. It was his second offence of the kind. She had time to get her belongings, relocate, and some more left over. Brian, Rich, and Brad helped her move her stuff out of her apartment. While they were there, the phone rang. Rich answered it.  
  
"Hello?..... Yeah....... Well, the partnership of Gillis, Cowley, and Maschetti would like your client to know that all ties with Miss Nicolas have been permanently severed...... Have a nice day!" Rich hung up the phone and put a reassuring arm around Sharon. "He can't come near you, Sha. He was given seven years."Sharon clung to him gratefully. "Come on, we've got to move you out of this apartment and find you a new place-- one that doesn't come with bad memories."  
  
* * *  
  
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Rich woke to find Brad staring up at the ceiling reflectively.  
  
"The past," Brad said simply.  
  
"Cryptic answer, bro," Rich prodded.  
  
"I was thinking about when Sha and I were kids, and then when she was with Lyle." He sighed. He thought about everything.   
  
Rich's facial muscles tensed. He vividly remembered seeing Sharon's battered and bruised back and torso. It was a good thing that those prison walls surrounded Lyle, he thought. They had all wanted to kill Lyle when they found out. He remembered the trouble that he and Michael had keeping Brian in the house. Brian was furious. He grabbed one of Michael's  
baseball bats and was about to head out of the door.  
  
"Gillis, I know how you're feeling, but you can't go there!" Rich remembered pleading with him.  
  
"Brad was willing to let his heart die in his chest because Sharon was with someone else, and that guy treated her like this!" Brian's voice was deadly. "I don't blame her, she was scared, but him..... he had no excuse for what he did to her!"  
  
"She's my sister!" hissed Michael. "Don't you think I'd love to rip him to pieces? But if I go over there, it'll destroy Sharon!"  
  
"That's why I'm going. He got his rocks off beating her to submission. He could dish it out-- let's see if he can take it!" Brian shook off Rich's restraining hand and was headed out the door when Mia, then 12, ran up to him.  
  
"Brian, can I go with you?" Mia asked innocently. It was like he had been slapped upside the head. His whole manner changed.  
  
"You want to come with me?" he asked gently.  
  
"Yeah, my mom said you needed me to come with you. She told me to ask you." Brian saw Sharon and Brad in the eyes of this kid and he understood why he couldn't beat Lyle to a pulp.  
  
"Sure, Mia. I was just going over to the park to hit a few balls. You want to be the pitcher?"  
  
Rich remembered how the little girl's face lit up at the suggestion. That must have been what Sharon was like at that age... or Brad. Mia reminded Rich of them both. He looked down at Sharon who was still sleeping on his shoulder. Then, he looked at Brad who was gazing intently at her.  
  
"Why don't you just tell her?" Rich asked him. "You've been eating your heart out for years!"  
  
"She doesn't look at me like that, Rich. She never has," Brad said in a resigned voice.  
  
"Maybe she will if you tell her how you feel." Rich could see the response that was coming. So, he added, "And don't tell me that you're over her, because we both know that it's bullshit, bro."  
  
Brad shrugged. Sha moaned. He had loved her for so long. He wanted to do what Rich said. The timing just wasn't there. At least she was always around him now. However, there was a bad side to the arrangement. When  
she wasn't working with them, it was easier to forget about his feelings. He was too busy to think about her. Now, she was always with him. Oh, but she could always make him smile! She opened her eyes and looked at him.  
  
"What?" she asked smiling.  
  
"Nothing," he said, flashing her a heart-stopping grin.   
  
Rich saw the way they were looking at each other. He rolled his eyes. When were they gonna figure out that they were meant for each other? A thought hit him. If the music thing ever fell through, he could write  
their story and make a lot of cash. He could even write for a soap with all the shit that Sharon had been through in the past few years. He shook his head. Alvin thought he had a chance with Sha? The poor guy. Someone had to clue him in.  
  
"You ready for the Boston concert?" Sharon asked them when she finally broke the gaze.  
  
"I'm ready to go home!" Rich exclaimed. The three of them laughed.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
  
Rich plopped down on the love seat with the box of scrapbooks. Thankfully, this was the last box that had to be emptied. Brad and Alvin were the ones that were head over heels for this girl. Why was he the one helping Sha get settled into her new apartment? Brad was at the dentist. That was a good excuse. Alvin had none. He reached in and grabbed one of the scrapbooks. He laughed at what he saw.  
  
"What are you laughing at?" Sha asked. She sat down beside him. Rich pointed at the picture of a ten-year-old Brad getting soaked by a ten-year-old Sharon holding a water hose.  
  
"Yeah, well, he deserved it! He soaked my kittens!" Sha said defensively.  
  
"This is a cute one here," Rich said pointing. It was the picture of Sharon and Brad as mini bride and groom. "I didn't know that the two of you were married."  
  
"My sister and his brother thought it would be cute to dress us like that at their wedding," Sha explained. "We've been almost inseparable ever since."  
  
"I can see that." Rich smiled.  
  
Sha reached for another scrapbook. "That isn't the only picture of us in formal attire. He took me to the prom." She opened up to the pages that held their prom pictures. She was dressed in a stunning, elegantly understated white dress, and he was in an equally elegant black tux. In one of the professional shots, Brad was gazing down at her, obviously in love, and Sharon smiled radiantly into the camera. That was seven years ago, Rich realized. Brad must have loved this girl his whole life!  
  
Rich looked at Sharon. He had to ask her. "Have you ever had feelings for Brad?"  
  
The question took her by surprise. She was too stunned to be anything but honest with him. "Yeah, I suppose. When I was in junior high, I had a major crush on him. After that, I'm not sure...... My feelings where he's concerned-- well, it's hard to distinguish which feelings are what..... I don't think I'm in love with him, if that's what you mean."  
  
"It's a shame. You two have all the qualities of a supercouple-- except for the fact that you're not together," Rich shook his head.   
  
Sharon laughed because she didn't know how serious he was. "I guess you're right. We must be in love considering all the karaeoke nights we've shared." When she got no reaction, she said, "It was a joke." He scrunched up his face in a puzzled expression and then laughed. "I guess we're done here. We better head off to the arena. You're supposed to meet the guys for a sound check in 45 minutes."  
  
***  
Brad was walking through the arena lost in his thoughts. Mia was spending the next two weeks with them in Boston. She was supposed to be arriving in time to watch the sound check. He was looking forward to his niece's arrival for many reasons. One of the main reasons for his anticipation was that Mia's arrival would give him more time to spend with Sharon. Maybe with Mia around, he could finally tell Sharon his feelings.   
  
He started humming the tune to "West Side Story" and looked out the window. He smiled. He could see Sharon walking through the parking lot. Rich ran to keep up with her. Brad laughed at the scene. He felt like he was on cloud nine. Sharon looked radiant. She was wearing gray warm-ups and a tiny gray tank. He ran down to meet them.  
  
"Hey you!" Brad said, smiling.  
  
"Hey!" She ran up to hug him. He was pleasantly surprised to feel that she was braless. "So, do you have any cavities?" she asked in a mock-serious tone.  
  
"Nope." He grinned. "Guess what. Mia's coming."  
  
"She's gonna stay with you?' Sharon raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Sure, why wouldn't she?" Brad asked.  
  
"Why wouldn't she be staying with me?" Sharon sounded hurt.  
  
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you can stay in my apartment too. I've got tons of room," offered Brad. Rich rolled his eyes and bit his lip. He tried not to laugh at his friend.  
  
"Be careful, I might just take you up on that." She smiled as they walked into the huge arena.  
  
Alvin arrived a few minutes later. He was, again, annoyingly shirtless. As soon as he got in, he winked at Sha. She just threw him a wifebeater and asked him to put it on. Rich bit his tongue to keep from laughing. Brad smiled with satisfaction. The three guys climbed onto the stage for the sound-check. They started with "Summer Fever." Sharon never could  
resist dancing to that song. So, she did. After all, there was no one there to see her but the guys. Brad noticed her and motioned for her to come up onto the stage with him. She did and they started dancing. Alvin eyed them jealously. Then, he shrugged. No wonder he couldn't get Sharon to notice him. Her heart was already taken. He could tell by the way she  
was dancing with Brad. He and Rich never suspected that Sha was one to get freaky on the dance floor. Then again, she was dancing with Brad. The stage was heating up because of those two. The irony was, Brad and Sha had no idea the effect they were having on each other. When the song ended, they realized where they were, and Mia was standing in front of the stage.  
  
"Mia! You're here!" Sharon jumped off the stage to hug her niece. Brad followed her.  
  
"Hey kid!" He rumpled Mia's hair. Rich and Alvin offered their obligatory greetings.  
  
"So, what was that?" Mia asked. She was elated at what she just saw. Maybe it meant that Brad and Sharon were finally together.  
  
"We were just having a little fun," smiled her aunt.  
  
"Brad, let's do one more song so we can go eat something!" Rich called.  
  
So, they sang "West Side Story." Brad couldn't keep his eyes off of Sharon. Sharon, in turn, couldn't keep from swaying to the music. She couldn't help think about what Rich said earlier. She and Brad definitely had chemistry, but she always assumed it was because they had been good friends for so long. She thought it was friendship chemistry. Then, her  
mind took her back to the scene after Rich had discovered exactly how badly Lyle had been treating her. She remembered the way Brad held her. She remembered how safe and loved she felt in his arms. Her mind flashed back to the present. She blushed as she thought about how uninhibited she had just been with her best friend. She wondered whether this was a  
result of suppressed or repressed feelings. Could she have feelings for Brad? She sighed. She didn't want to think about it. But, what about the way he was dancing with her? Could Brad possibly have feelings for her? Again, she sighed. That was another thing that she didn't want to think about. The song ended.  
  
"So, anybody up for a bite at Togo's?" asked Brad.  
  
"Count me in," said Rich.  
  
"Ditto," said Sha.  
  
"Nah, man. I'm in the mood for something greasy. I'll send somebody to Tommy's for me," said Alvin.  
  
"Okay, let's go, then." Brad motioned for his companions to follow him.  
  
When they were all settled in the car, Mia whispered to Rich. "Are they together yet?"  
  
"No, kiddo. Not yet," Rich said with a chuckle. "You're uncle Brad is still too afraid to tell her how he feels."  
  
"I wish they'd hurry up already. This has been dragging since I was six years old!" Mia shook her head.  
  
"I know kid.... I know," Rich smiled. A few minutes later the car stopped. He got out and opened the door for Mia. "It looks like your aunt wants to say something," he whispered.  
  
"I say this as a public relations person, Brad. What the hell are you doing with your hair?" Sharon said after Brad removed his cap.  
  
"What's wrong with my hair?" Brad asked with a puzzled smile.  
  
"Why are you layering it. It's long in some places and short in others. It doesn't look good." She scrunched up her face to further illustrate what she thought about his 'do.  
  
"What do you suggest I do with it?" he asked.  
  
"Get it close-cropped the way you used to have it. Your image will be better for it." She brushed the locks from his forehead.  
  
"Why?" He wasn't offended, he was just curious.  
  
"Well, your face is a great asset. You don't want your hair distracting people from your good looks. Also, this 'do gives you a messy look... which has become the source of some ambiguity among your target demographic." She paused and studied his face. "Bottom line is, you look so much hotter with close cropped hair."  
  
Brad made a mental note to get a haircut in the morning. He wanted nothing more than for Sharon to see him as attractive. That's why he started wearing his glasses again and put his wifebeaters on ice. It was just his good luck that her opinion was what got the fans filling the seats at the concerts.  
  
"Don't cut it the way Rich's hair is cut, though. It won't flatter you, and you guys don't want to look too uniform," she continued.  
  
"You get paid to tell him how to cut his hair! I could do that for free!" Mia exclaimed.  
  
"Well, I went to college and studied how people perceive public figures, young lady. I'm getting paid for the amount of education I've had."  
  
"I thought you were an English major," shot Mia.  
  
"Let's go inside and eat," Sharon said flatly. Brad poked Rich and smiled.   
  
  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
Sharon woke up the next morning with a huge head-ache. The concert had been so hectic. Her colleagues promised so many journalists interviews that there wasn't enough time for the guys to talk to everybody. She had to send reporters off with statements, quote sheets, and also had to reschedule. Then, she had to look after all the fans with backstage passes. That wasn't a very easy thing to do. Some of the assistants were treating the fans with less respect than they deserved. She had to talk with them and apologize to the slighted fans. She groaned remembering the stress of it all.  
  
She walked out into her living room. Brad was sleeping on her couch. Mia was on the love seat. She smiled at the familiar scene. She was glad Mia was in town for a while. It would give her a chance to spend more time with her favorite niece, and she could have more fun with Brad. She could never spend too much time with Brad.  
  
She went back to her room, then threw on some sweats and a pair of cross-trainers. She was gonna go out for a run and pick up some breakfast. She wasn't in the mood to have the Maschetti's criticize her lousy Filipino cooking, and she was out of eggs. She left a note for them telling them to wait there when they woke up.   
  
The wind felt nice against her face. She had always enjoyed running, but she didn't do it on a regular basis until her breakup with Lyle. She found it to be very theraputic.... most of the time. It gave her time to think and usually made her feel better about herself. This particualr morning, she was thinking about moving on with her life. Was she finally ready to start dating again? She didn't have time to mull over that question, though. Something on the newsstand caught her eye.  
  
Staring back at her from the counter was a tabloid. On the cover, was a picture of her dancing with Brad. The headline read, "Mystery Woman Gets Freaky With Structure's Maschetti." She stopped, bought the article. Then, she sat down on a park bench to read it. She lauged as she read about her five year marriage with Brad. She laughed even harder when the article mentioned a teenage daughter. The only fact in the article was that she was now one of the publicists for Structure. She got up, ran into a restaurant, got breakfast, and headed home.  
  
"Guess what!" Sha exclaimed as she walked through the door. Brad and Mia were sitting on the couch watching TV. "We made the tabloids!"   
  
"You're kidding!' said Brad.  
  
"Yup, we've been married for five years, and we've got a teenage daughter!" Sharon laughed. "I guess they were refering to Mia. Don't worry, they had enough respect not to put in a picture of her."  
  
"That is hilarious!" Brad laughed as he read the article. "Gee, I think I woulda remembered sleeping with you, Sha. It's not something I'd be likely to forget. I don't remember you being pregnant when we were nine!"  
  
"I thought you'd get a kick out of that," Sha smiled. "I'm gonna take a shower. Breakfast is in that bag." Brad and Mia headed to the kitchen. Sha smiled again. They definately had a family feeling going among the three of them... the article didn't really lie about that. She walked towards her room.  
  
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Sha opened it to find a distraught and disheveled looking Rich standing there. "Oh my God! Rich, what's wrong?" Sha asked, concerned.  
  
"Lisa left me. I got home last night, and all her stuff was gone," he said quietly.  
  
"What have you been doing? Walking the streets all night?"  
  
"No... but I couldn't sleep. I was looking for Brad..."  
  
"He's here," she said. She reached up to give him a hug. "I'll go get him for you."  
  
"No. That's okay." Rich waved his hand.  
  
"Rich, you look terrible. Are you alright?" she asked him.  
  
"I'm fine, Sha. It's not the breakup that's got me upset. I told her that it was over before I came over yesterday. I just didn't expect her to be gone this quickly. I'm kinda worried about her. She was never one of the most stable individuals, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sha said. She remembered how paranoid and possesive the girl was. Lisa once tried to beat up one of the back-up dancers because she thought that Rich was too friendly with her. "Look, let me get showered and dressed. You can join Brad in the kitchen. When I'm done, Brad and I will stop by the University and check up on her for you."  
  
"Thanks Sha," Rich flashed a relieved smile. "I owe you guys one."  
  
Sha patted him on the shoulder and headed off to her shower. As the warm water flowed over her body, she imagined Brad was there with her, nibbling on her ear. She put her lips to his chest..... Where did that thought come from? Goodness, she had to be horny. Why the hell was she fantasizing about her best friend in the middle of another friend's crisis? She had to get a boyfriend. She reached out and changed the temperature of the water from hot to cold. That would stop her sick thoughts for now.  
  
In the kitchen, Brad had just agreed to check up on Lisa for Rich. He heard the running water from the shower. His mind flashed to Sharon, standing naked in her shower. He imagined running his hands all over her wet body..... What kind of sick pervert was he? There he was, in the kitchen with his niece and one of his closest friends-- a friend who was in the middle of a crisis, no less-- lusting after his best friend. Why did things always have to be like this?  
  
Rich noticed the changes in the facial expressions of his friend. When Mia walked out of the kitchen he asked, "Why the hell don't you just tell Sharon how you feel about her?"  
  
"Why? So she can laugh at me?" countered Brad. "She has always thought about me as a friend. That's something that won't change."  
  
"You just gotta make her realize that she likes you, bro!" Rich told his friend.  
  
"And what if things don't work out? What then?" Brad asked.  
  
"With you and her, things will work out. They just will." Rich's hopeless romanticism was coming out, Brad thought as the words came out of his friend's mouth. He shrugged. That was what made his lyrics so good.  
  
"Well, I don't know. She hasn't even given me any reason to believe that she could think of me that way. I don't want to ruin the relationship we've got now," Brad told Rich.  
  
"Fine," Rich smiled. "But you're the one that has to live with the chronic Sharon-itis."  
  
Momentarily, Sharon walked into the kitchen. "You'll stay with Mia while we're gone?" She asked Rich.  
  
"Of course... Just make sure that Lisa's okay... and anybody else..." Rich said meaningfully. He didn't want to get a call from one of the dancers saying that she had a broken arm because of his ex-girlfriend.  
  
Brad and Sharon went off in search of Lisa. They found her outside of one of her classes at Boston University. She didn't look like she was devastated over her breakup with Rich. In fact, she looked happy. Brad and Sharon looked at each other. This didn't seem like the Lisa that they were used to. Brad motioned that they should go talk to her.  
  
"Lisa, is that you?" Brad called out to the blonde girl.  
  
"Brad!" Lisa asked without turning around.  
  
"Yeah, it's me and Sharon..." Brad started.  
  
"I don't want to talk to Sharon right now!" Lisa said briskly. Brad motioned for Sharon to leave. He pointed to the bell tower. She nodded. She would wait for him at the by the bell tower. She just prayed that she wouldn't have anymore x-rated thoughts about him. She turned around and left Brad to talk to Lisa.  
  
As Sharon settled into the parkbench, she thought about Brad and Rich. They were so different from the guys she dated. "Maybe that's why they're only friends of mine," she laughed quietly to herself. Rich was immature. He liked to play around too much. It amazed her that he had been able to carry on a relationship with Lisa for so long. He was an inherent flirt-- a hopeless romantic, but a flirt nonetheless. He was like that overprotective big brother, but with an inherent coolness to him. He also had one of the most creative minds she had ever come across. Like her, he had started out as an English major. His minor was music instead of journalism, though. He dropped out of Boston University midway through his sophmore year to pursue a career in music. She looked up to him. She wished that she could be more like the blonde intellectual.... fun loving, full of personality.... Instead, she was a shrinking violet. Okay, that wasn't exactly true, but it felt like it sometimes.  
  
Brad was different, though. He was this supportive figure. He felt his emotions intensely, but left room to have some fun. He underrated himself, put others first, but also had a personality that allowed him to shine in whatever he was doing. Like Rich, he was a bit overprotective of her, but there was something different about it. It was almost as if..... but that couldn't be it. He was almost as close as family to her. It must be that tie that made him that protective.... that and the fact that he was her best friend. Maybe they would make a great couple. Things were so easy between them. It was no wonder Lyle thought that she had cheated with Brad.  
  
***  
Sharon still remembered the first time Lyle had struck her. Back then, Brad was still at community college, but he was seriously considering a career in music. The summer hit, and back he was, in California. He was asking everybody he knew for advice as to what he should do. She had spent one afternoon discussing it with him, but rushed home as soon as she remembered that Lyle was planning on doing something special with her. She was almost an hour late.  
  
"Where have you been? I have been waiting here for almost an hour," Lyle's voice was deadly calm.  
  
"I told you I'd be at my sister's house. I lost track of time," she said.  
  
"You also said that your sister and her family were gonna be out all day. What were you doing over there that made you lose track of time?" There was an edge growing in Lyle's voice.   
  
Sharon didn't like the feeling she was getting. She felt like Lyle was interrogating her for no reason. "Well, if you must know, I was with Brad. He's thinking about dropping out of school to pursue a music career. He asked me for some insight," Sha explained to her boyfriend.  
  
"You were over there all day!" The edge in his voice grew razor sharp.  
  
"So?' Sha asked, trying to sound nonchallant.  
  
"SO STOP LYING TO ME!" Lyle's voice exploded. "Why don't you just tell me the truth? You were doing him! Tell me, was he better than me?"  
  
"Lyle, you're being ridiculous!" Sha said, trying to control her fear.  
  
Lyle caught her by the hair and struck her across the face. The blow made her topple to the ground. "Tell me the truth!"  
  
"I didn't sleep with him!" Sharon spat out through the tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Well, prove it to me!" Lyle said, once again speaking with a deadly calm. "Strip right here, and do me!"  
  
"What?!" Sharon asked, incredulously. "You want me to sleep with you after what you just did to me?"  
  
"If you were faithful to me, it shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"What kind of man are you?" she asked.  
  
"You fucked him! You dirty little bitch! You fucked him!" he said. He jumped at her and grabbed her by the hair. He shook her until she cried out in pain. "I oughta go over there right now!" He went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife.  
  
"NO! Lyle!" she pleaded. She started taking off her clothes.  
  
"You think I want goods that have been passed around?" He dropped the knife. "But," the angry quality in his voice was replaced by an evil one. "He can't have you anymore, either. I will spare your precious Brad," he spat out the name, "if you can deprive him of your services. Make him eat his heart out seeing you with me. Make him think that you chose me even after you fucked him."  
  
"But I didn't sleep with him!" Sharon whimpered.  
  
"Shut up!" Lyle spat at her. "You will do as I say, or your Brad won't be around to start his music career." He slammed the door as he stormed out of the apartment. From then on, he tested her. The scenes like that only got worse with the passage of time. When Rich came into the picture, Lyle beat her more severely. She also had to worry about him.  
  
***  
Sharon held back her tears as she sat on the bench. How could she think that she was finally ready to start dating again? Furthermore, how could she even entertain the idea of Brad....? No guy, least of all Brad, deserved to have what another man considered trash. Wait. That wasn't right. If she thought that, that would mean that Lyle won. Anyways, it wasn't Brad she wanted. She just wanted a romantic relationship with someone. At least that's what she told herself.  
  
"Sharon?" a voice came from behind. She turned around to see Alvin. "What's going on?"  
  
"I was just thinking," she told him.  
  
"About Brad,"he guessed. It tore at his heart, but he knew he was right. He finally realized that the girl was in love with his good friend who loved her right back.   
  
"Yeah... him, Rich, Lyle.... just ish from the past... trying to figure out why I can't move on with my life.... and dating...." Sharon drifted off.  
  
"Lyle?" he asked. He noticed that her face tensed up when she heard the name. He wondered what that was about.  
  
"Oh, he's just someone we used to know," she answered in a strained voice. Alvin could see that there was more to it than she was saying, but he let it go because it was obviously something that bothered her.  
  
So, he changed the subject. "Where's Brad, by the way? Rich said he would be with you. We were supposed to go to the gym."  
  
"Brad's talking to Lisa. She seemed pretty mad at me. She probably thinks I'm the reason she and Rich broke up."  
  
"No, she doesn't," Alvin told her. "I talked to her earlier. She thinks that the reason is one of the dancers. She was asking me about it. She also figured that Rich would send you to run interference.... so, I guess that's what that was all about."  
  
"Then, why will she talk to Brad?" Sha asked curiously.  
  
"Probably to complain. You know how easy-going he is. She already wore my ears ragged," Alvin said.  
  
"That makes sense, I guess."  
  
"You know, this is the first time that you're talking to me like a friend," Alvin commented.  
  
"Well, this is the first time you're around me and not acting like an eight-year-old," she said.  
  
He smiled. So she did notice his endeavors-- she just didn't know what they were about. "You know I was only trying to get your attention."  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because I was interested.... in you, I mean," he answered sheepishly.  
  
"You could've tried getting my attention other ways," she laughed.  
  
"It still wouldn't have worked."  
  
"That's true," she admitted. "But, I wouldn't have been as standoffish as I was."  
  
"I see..." said Alvin. "I guess I shouldn't have tried so hard, then."  
  
"Yeah," she said. "Maybe if you had been like this the whole time, we'd have started as friends."  
  
He extended his hand. "Hi, my name is Alvin. What's yours?"  
  
"What are you doing?" Sha asked with a smile.  
  
"Strating over, now what's your name?' He asked.  
  
"I'm Sharon Nicolas. It's nice to meet you, Alvin. Any friend of Brad's is a friend of mine."  
  
Brad came up to them from the side. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"No, Sharon and I were just starting over. Hopefully, we can be friends this time," Alvin beamed.  
  
"So, is Lisa okay?" Sharon asked.  
  
"Yeah, she's a bit bitter, but that's understandable after a breakup. She's not thinking of beating anyone down. I take that as a sign that everythings fine," he said. "I guess she just grew up."  
  
"That makes one person.... I still have some of that to do," Sharon laughed.  
  
"I don't disagree,' Brad teased. "I think I do, too."  
  
  
CHAPTER 6  
  
"Rich, who's Lyle?" Alvin asked. He was at the gym with Rich and he remembered how Sharon had mentioned the name a week ago. The memory was triggered by seeing her that morning. She looked a little down, like something was eating at her.  
  
"What makes you ask?" asked Rich. His facial muscles tensed, and something a little wild appeared in his baby blue eyes.  
  
Alvin saw a look that concerned him in his friend's eyes. "Sharon mentioned him the other day and she looked pretty broken up about it. She said something about not being able to move on with her life. I saw her this morning and she looked upset. It just triggered the name in my mind."  
  
"That son of a bitch is still messing with her life after all this time?" Rich hissed.  
  
"Who was he?" Alvin repeated.  
  
"He was Sha's ex-boyfriend," Rich said flatly.  
  
"What did he do? Cheat on her?" Alvin continued with his questions.  
  
"He beat her.... bad. He thought that she was cheating with me or Brad, and he just beat her." There was something broken in Rich's voice and Alvin thought it was best not to say anything. Rich continued, "I was the one who found out first. Man, if you had seen the bruises and scars on her back and on her stomach...."  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Alvin muttered angrily.  
  
"He's in jail now...." Rich said distractedly. "God, if we had just trusted our instincts about him from the start, it wouldn't have had to come to that! And she stayed in the relationship to protect us!" Rich slammed his fist down into the top of a trashcan. When he calmed down a little, he told Alvin the whole story. He told him about Brad's reaction, what Brian was about to do to Lyle, and how Mia stopped him. Alvin was blown away by all the information. There was one thing that didn't surprise him, though.  
  
"I can't say that I'm shocked about Brad's reaction. He's really in love with her, isn't he?"  
  
"Yeah, he's been in love with her for as long as I can remember.... since I met him," Rich told his friend.  
  
"She loves him, too. I can tell," Alvin sighed. "I"m right, aren't I?"  
  
"Yeah, but she doesn't know how she feels yet. It's almost like she's afraid to love him." Rich shook his head. His lips turned up into a half-smile. If he had a magic wand in his hand, he could be a fairy-god-person. God knew that Brad and Sharon's love story could use a deus-ex-machina.... some devine intervention. "If this music thing ever falls through, I could still make money writing their story on a soap opera," Rich laughed.  
  
***  
That night, Brad was lying in his bed unable to sleep. He looked over to the clock on his bedstand. It was 3 am. That morning, he saw Sharon, but there was something wrong with her. She tried to play it off, but she was never very good at hiding when she was upset. It bothered him to see her down. It bothered him even more that she wouldn't tell him what it was that was troubling her. He grew concerned when she passed up a chance to spend the afternoon with Mia. She told them that she had errands to run. It wasn't like her to blow off a chance to spend time with her niece for a few errands. And why didn't she want to tell him what was going on?   
  
He walked out of his bedroom. He heard Mia snoring softly from the other room. He smiled. At least someone in the apartment was having a good night's rest. He shook his head as he walked to his living room. His thoughts once again turned to Sharon. He looked out his window and thought about what it would be like to be able to take Sha in his arms and erase all of her bad feelings with a hug. If only she would tell him what was wrong. Staring out the window, he could see her so clearly sitting by her window sill in the pastel pajamas her mom bought her in the Philippines. He reached out to touch her, but touched the glass instead. He sank into a chair and continued to look out onto the city of Boston.  
  
Sharon was pacing in her living room. Early that morning, she got a call from her sister. She got a call from the family lawyer. Lyle was out of jail. He was out on parole. The minute she heard that her face turned white, and her color hadn't yet returned. She knew that he couldn't get at her.... that he didn't know where she was, but the fear was still there. It was mostly a fear for Brad. She knew that Brad had security, but it often wasn't enough to keep some of the fans away from him. Would the security personel be able to protect him from Lyle?  
  
Why was this happening when she was finally thinking about moving on with her life? She even briefly entertained the idea of asking Rich to hook her up with someone. That would be impossible now. "Wait, why should that be impossible now?" she asked herself aloud. "I'm not with Lyle anymore. He can't keep me from seeing anybody!" However, she couldn't shake the feeling that Lyle would appear in her life and keep her from the people that she cared about. She thought about Brad. How many times had Lyle kept her away from him because of his paranoia? How many times had Lyle threatened his life? She didn't know how she'd be able to get on without Brad in her life. Lately, he had become a very essential part of her life. Rich had become more important to her, too, but it was almost like Brad was an essential part of her.  
  
The fear that gripped her chest became too much for her to bear. She ran into her bedroom and threw on a pair of sweats and a tank. She wanted to make sure that Brad was alright. She wanted to see him, feel him, and just know that nothing had happened. She knew that this was ridiculous. Lyle was five states away, but the fear he instilled in her while they were together was very much alive that night. She threw on her smeakers as she ran out the door.  
  
Brad, clad only in boxers, was surprised when he heard the knock on the door. He wondered who it could be in the middle of the night. It was Sharon. She was ash white. He wrapped his bare arms around her protectively. "Sha-sha, what's wrong?" he asked, using her childhood nickname. He could feel her trembling. He lifted her chin so that her eyes would meet his. "Sha-sha...?" he repeated.  
  
"It's Lyle.... he's gonna take you away from me again," she said in a near whisper.  
  
"Sha, that's impossible. Lyle's in jail," Brad said.  
  
"Not anymore," she told him quietly, "He's out on parole."  
  
"Let's go into my room so we don't wake Mia," he suggested.  
  
Sha was still shaking with fear. "I'm so afraid he's gonna keep you from me again." She tightly gripped his arm.  
  
He grasped her hands and held her close to him. "Feel that? I'm here and I won't let go of you until you ask me to. I'm not going anywhere," he said. He meant every word. He would hold on to her for as long as she'd let him.  
  
"I don't know what I'd do if you weren't in my life. You're one of the most important people in it." She clutched him tightly as she spoke. "Just hold me for a while."  
  
He pulled her head against his chest. He waited until he felt her breath become more regular before he spoke. "Sha, you deserve so much more than this fear. If I had my way, I would completely extract it out of your life." He looked at her. She hadn't heard him.... she was asleep. He smiled. Then, he stroked her face and pulled the covers over them. It wasn't long until he drifted off to sleep himself.  
  
***  
Sha was falling apart. Brad's touch was driving her crazy. She turned the table on him, though. She pushed him down on the bed. She licked his ear and worked her tongue down to where his neck met his shoulder all the while lightly caressing his arms and chest. She moved down and started an assault on his nipples. She smiled as she heard his raw groan....  
  
***  
Brad's eyes shot open. He wasn't dreaming. Sha was.... well, nevermind what Sha was doing. He looked at her. She was asleep. He had to wake the girl up before-- before something happened. He was torn apart. This is something he wanted, but he wanted her to be awake and fully aware of who she was with. It was time to stop the sweet torture.  
  
"Sharon!" he shook her. "Sha, come on. Wake up!"  
  
"Mmmmmmm..." she moaned. Her hands dug into the garter of his boxers. He jumped.  
  
"Sha-sha!" he nearly shouted. Her eyes opened. She stared at him dreamily, then jumped back. It was obvious to him that she was finally aware of where she was and who she was with.  
  
"Omigod!" she said sounding like a valley girl. "I'm sorry..... I must've....."  
  
"I understand..... it's okay. You didn't know you were with me. It's fine.... really," he said. He silently prayed that she wouldn't feel the need to run screaming from the apartment. He started throwing some clothes on.  
  
"Okay," she said. Her eyes were downcast. She caught a look in his eyes and started to respond. "No, Brad, I won't run screaming from the building. It's embarrassing, but it's nothing either of us hadn't experienced before.... and besides, it's just us." She paused. "God, I must be lonely! I'm really sorry, Brad."  
  
"No apology needed," he told her. He smiled. She had no idea how much he wanted her. If only it was him that she wanted.  
  
Sha caught his wry smile. She wondered what it meant. It probably meant that he didn't want her. That was as it should be. At least, that's what she told herself. She must just be horny. She should call Rich later and seriously have him hook her up with someone. Then, she wouldn't be dreaming about doing her best friend. She sighed.  
  
Just then, the door opened. "Uncle Brad, you said that we'd go for a jog this morning!" It was Mia. "Auntie Sha, what are you doing here?" Mia wondered if she was interrupting anything. She hoped that she was, but after thinking for a moment, she came to the conclusion that she wasn't. Even if auntie Sha finally realized how she felt about uncle Brad, they wouldn't engage in any adult activity while she was in the house.  
  
"Your aunt Sharon had a little scare," Brad told his niece. "We came into my room because we didn't want to wake you. So, now you've got two jogging partners!" He smiled.  
  
"Come on, Mia. Let's let Brad get dressed without us hovering over him." Sha led her niece out of the room.  
  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
It was a good twenty-four hours later that Sha was sitting in her apartment contemplating the events of the day before. After leaving Mia and Brad, she had run straight to Rich for some help. That led to a long and revealing conversation. A conversation that she still felt the need to mull over.  
  
***  
"Rich, I need you to help me," a semi-distraught Sharon asked.  
  
"Calm down, Sha. What do you need?" he asked her.  
  
"I need you to set me up with someone.... anybody." The look on her face was dead serious.  
  
"Hold on," he said. "Where is this coming from?" She told him the events of the morning. After he finished laughing heartily, he said, "And what, pray tell is so bad about that? Girl, when are you going to finally realize that you love him?"  
  
"What?" Sha's face was covered in confusion.  
  
"Ya heard me! You're in love with him. You've been in love with him since I met you... maybe even before then,' he said. "We all just thought you two would realize on your own how you feel about each other. Your sister, Michael, even Mia has been waiting for you guys to come to your senses!'  
  
"What do you mean how we feel about each other?" asked Sharon.  
  
"He's in love with you." Rich shook his head. "He has loved you for the longest time. Do you know how many years he spent trying to get over you? Do you know how many times he's tried to convince himself that all he feels for you is friendship? Golly, girl!' He shook his head again. "I'm tired of you guys missing the signals... and I'm tired of you both being in denial."  
  
"But I don't want to see him that way!' Sha said in a sudden spurt of energy.  
  
"But you do. Why the hell else would you be having x-rated dreams about him and running off to his apartment in the middle of the night? God knows it wasn't my apartment you ran into last night.... and Lyle wanted to waste my ass too." Rich could see that his words were sinking in.  
  
"But he only sees me as a friend. Your perception of the situation has to be wrong...."  
  
"Bullshit!" he shouted. "I'm the one who's had to watch him eat his heart out while you were with Lyle. I'm the one he confided in. It amazes me how many times you missed that tortured look on his face every time he saw you with Lyle.... but you had other things to worry about."  
  
"He may have loved me before, but--" she started.  
  
"Don't even! You still don't see the way he looks at you!" Rich was incredulous. "Why don't you just think about it, Sha?"  
  
"Rich, I don't want to love him! It ruins everything..... and why the hell does he have to love me? That just makes it harder!" Her eyes were filling with tears.  
  
"What is so wrong with the concept of you guys loving each other?" Rich's tone was gentle, now. He realized this information could be a little too much for Sharon to handle.  
  
"What if it doesn't work out? I can't lose him and his friendship," she said quietly.  
  
"You wouldn't. Don't you know that by now?" Rich put a reassuring hand on the top of her head. "Besides, you will always be Mia's aunt, and he will always be her uncle. He will always be in your life. You two have been friends almost all of your lives. That's not going to change. You two love each other too much."  
  
"I'm so confused." Sharon had a lot to process, so Rich suggested that she go home and think some more.  
  
"You know that everything I said is true. You just have to decide what to do now that you know," Rich said. As she walked out the door, he wondered if he did the right thing by Brad by telling her. It was done, though. He knew what the outcome would be. Everybody knew what the outcome would be.  
  
***  
Sharon was still confused. Could Rich be right? She didn't know. Maybe she was in love with Brad, but if she was, that would be a huge problem.... even if he did love her back. Who was she kidding? She knew that he loved her. She had always known. She just never wanted to see it because she wanted things to stay simple. She found herself wishing that they were nine years old again. Back then, none of the things she was thinking about at the moment would have mattered. She would beat him in basketball or throw a football around with him. She wouldn't be worrying about how they felt about each other.  
  
She also had to admit that she loved him too. She had always loved him. First, it was as his best friend, but it grew. Rich was right about that. She really was in love with Brad. She couldn't pinpoint where it had started, but it was there. How could she not fall in love with Brad? He was always there for her. He always built her up-- made her feel special. He had always believed in her. And, boy, could he make her laugh!  
  
"Quit that!" she told herself aloud. "I don't deserve him. All I've ever done is step on his feelings. Besides, I don't want to complicate things."  
  
Then, a voice in her head, sounding like Rich said, "What are you afraid of? You love him, he loves you. You should be together, it's that simple."  
  
She picked up the phone and dialed the familiar numbers. She hoped that he was there. Someone picked up on the other end of the line. "Hello?"  
  
"Rich, why would he want what another man considered trash? He really doesn't deserve me. He deserves so much better," Sha said, holding back the tears.  
  
"Stay there. Imma come over and we can talk about this. I don't want to do this over the phone," Rich said. He could hear the tears in her voice. He hung up the phone and almost ran out of his apartment. He was filled with a brotherly need to look out for Sharon. Man, he could kill Lyle for putting this girl, a girl he'd grown to think of as a kid sister, through all of this.  
  
Five minutes later, he was standing at her door. The look in his eyes was that of concern and frustration. He walked in, gave her a quick hug and sat her down on the couch. He needed to give her a good talking to. He would be damned if he would allow Lyle to rule this girl's life. Maybe they should have let Brian pop him one all those years ago.  
  
"Sha, you know you're better than trash. Why else would you carry yourself so well?" Rich said, getting straight to the point.  
  
"Rich, you don't know what it feels like. Lyle didn't love me enough... if he couldn't why should Brad?" she countered.  
  
"He was a loser!" Rich said simply.  
  
"That's exactly my point. I couldn't keep Mr. Undesirable happy, how the hell am I gonna keep Brad happy?" she said with a tone of desperation.  
  
"You make him happy all the time!" he told her. "You believe in yourself enough to tell him the truth about how whack his hair was looking. Why can't you believe in yourself enough to trust that someone actually loves you as much as he does?"  
  
"Because, I'm just scared," she said quietly. "I am so damn scared. He is the most important person in my life. If things change, I could lose what I have with him."  
  
"We had this conversation earlier, Sha-sha." He paused for effect. "Are you in love with him?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Then you need to have this conversation with him," he told her.  
  
It was quiet for a minute. Sha broke the silence by asking, "Why did you have to tell me all of this?"  
  
"You needed me to. You were too scared to see it for what it actually is."  
  
"Why didn't Brad ever tell me?"  
  
"I think that's something that you need to ask him."  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 8  
  
After thinking long and hard about everything Rich said, Sharon came to the conclusion that it would be better just to go with the flow. There was no point in having a long, drawn out discussion about their feelings. They had been doing that all their lives. She was tired of overanalyzing every little detail as a prelude to her relationships. She figured that it would be better to send off all the signals and see where that would take her.  
  
"Why can't I just have a little fun?' she asked herself. "If it happens, it happens."  
  
The phone rang. Sha's heart jumped. Was it Brad? Wait. She was beginning to feel like a schoolgirl. She calmed herself down and answered the phone. "Hello, this is Sharon Nicolas."  
  
"Ate Sha-sha?" a voice asked on the other end of the line. It was her younger cousin.  
  
"Chris?"Sha asked. "Hey, it's great to hear from you? You just graduated, right? I'm sorry I couldn't make it..."  
  
"Don't worry about it," Chris said cutting her off. "I'm calling to ask if you could use a roommate."  
  
"What?!" Sha exclaimed. This was coming out of left field. The last she heard from Chris, she was planning on going straight on to law school after graduating.  
  
"I know this is kinda sudden.... I'll explain after you give me an answer,' Chris's voice sounded strangely cold to Sha. "Would you mind taking me in for a while?"  
  
"Chris.... I thought you were gonna study to get into entertainment law...." Sha was a bit concerned at her little cousin's change of plans. "But, if you really want this, sure.... you can stay with me."  
  
"Thanks, you don't know what this means to me." Sha heard the sound of relief in Chris's voice. There was definately something up.  
  
"Well, you better tell me, because I want to know why you chucked your plans out the window." Sha's voice was stern.  
  
"It's a long story," Chris said, trying to avoid answering.  
  
"I have all day. It's not like you to arbitrarily change your mind like this. There's something big behind this, and you're going to tell me."  
  
"Ate, I'm not sure whether this is the path that I want to take. I'm taking some time off to think about it. UCLA will hold my admission standing for two years. I have to figure this out." Chris's sentences were jumping from one train of thought to another.  
  
"You were so sure of yourself before, though. Chrissy, something had to have happened," Sha said.  
  
Something inside of Chris broke. "Sha, I don't need this from you, too. All my life, most of my decisions have been made for me by my parents, by lolo and lola, by everybody. I don't need this from you!"  
  
"Chris, I'm just concerned. I mean, something did happen, right.... I think that it was safe to assume that," Sha said, trying to calm her cousin down.  
  
"Yeah, everything happened," Chris said, flatly. "You name it, and it happened. I graduated and all my dad had to say was, 'You better not let me down.'" Chris sighed, then continued. "The minute I graduated, it was like my mom transferred all the hopes she had for herself on to me. It was like she would kill for me to practice law because she never had the chance to practice medicine. I have put life on hold for them, and I won't do it anymore!"  
  
"Chris, I'm sorry...." was all Sharon could say.  
  
"Glenn died doing the same thing," Chris said quietly. "He died never even knowing what it was he wanted. I won't let his death be in vain."  
  
There it was, thought Sharon in shock. He was one of Chris's friends. "Glenn died?" she asked her cousin.  
  
"Yes, he died a couple of weeks ago. He had a head-on collision with another car." Chris's voice was barely audible.  
  
"Chrissy, I'm so sorry," Sha murmured. "You can stay with me as long as you need to figure things out."  
  
"Thank you, ate.... I'm sorry for being so--"  
  
"I understand, ading.... When do you want to move in?"  
  
"I'll join you out there in a few weeks. I'll call you. There are some things here that I need to take care of," Chris told her. "Sha, it's not so much the fact that he's not with me anymore that hurts. We would have gone our separate ways eventually. It's just that he never got to figure it out. He just did what his parents told him to."  
  
"Chris, I understand. You need to find your life." They said their goodbyes. Sharon hung up the phone with a heavy heart.  
  
Chris's parents had always been a bit rigid in raising her. She was never allowed to go out with any of her friends. Chris was only allowed out with her cousins, and that wasn't often either. As a result, Chris developed a somewhat armored exterior. She was outgoing, sure, but there was always a wall that she wouldn't let most people past. Sharon was glad that Chris was coming. Maybe after a while, she would be able to trust people enough to let her into the inner self that she hid most of the time. That inner Chris was a beautiful, deep, and open person.  
  
***  
"Chunky's gonna be living with you?" It was one of Brad's other brothers, Bobby. He was in Boston on business and decided to drop in on Brad and Mia. He didn't often see his niece because of his working schedule. When he arrived, he was greeted by Sharon, who informed him of her upcoming living arrangement with Chris.  
  
"Are you ever going to stop calling her that?" Brad asked his brother.  
  
"Yes, Chris is going to stay with me for a while, Bobby" Sharon said in an exasperated voice.  
  
"Wait a minute," Rich broke in, "Who's Chris?"  
  
"She's one of my aunties," Mia answered.  
  
"Yeah," said Brad. Then he pointed to his brother, "And this one here had Mia calling her 'auntie Chunky' for a long time."  
  
"I never called her that!" Mia almost shouted.  
  
"Yes you did," Sharon told her, trying to supress a smile. "When you were around three years old."  
  
"Wait, you have another sister?" Rich asked Sharon, still looking confused.  
  
"Nope, Chris is my cousin. She just graduated from UCLA with a double major-- English and Journalism," Sharon answered.  
  
"Like you?" Rich asked her.  
  
"No actually, her emphasis in Journalism was like yours..... advertising."  
  
"Yeah, you and Chris would get along great," Brad said a bit absently.  
  
"Yup, I have a feeling that Chunky would like you a lot. You have a lot in common," Bobby said.  
  
"What's she like?" Rich asked.  
  
"Well, Bobby likes to call her Chunky, but she's not anymore. She's really nice, but can sometimes get a little moody. She's funny in a witty sorta way.... She's also a little competitive. She's really smart. She's had no love life to speak of...." Sharon tapered off.  
  
"Yeah," said Bobby. "That's something that I don't understand. Chunky's not drop-dead gorgeous, but she's cute. It's not like she's never had any offers, either. It's like she's afraid to live her life."  
  
"It's not that, Bobby. You know how it was for her," Sharon said quietly. "That's why she's taking a couple of years off and spending some time with me."  
  
"Okay, I'm missing something again," said Rich.  
  
"No, not really," said Brad, who thought it best that they not get into a discussion of Chris's issues. "Chris is just at a point of indecision in her life, right Sha?"  
  
"Right," Sha said. She paused, then said, "It's not like Chrissy's a prude, though, Bobby. She can have a lot of fun."  
  
"I didn't mean to imply that Chunky was a little pris. Chunky's cool. I was just wondering why she never allowed herself to date a little."  
  
"She sounds interesting," Rich said, thoughtfully. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."  
  
  
CHAPTER 9  
  
"Watch out, that's hot!" Brad warned Sha. He had lost a bet with her and Rich, and was cooking dinner in her kitchen for the two of them as well as Mikey Cowley.  
  
"Enough about you, Bradley, let me taste some of that spagetti sauce," Sha smiled at him. Man, she was flirting up a storm that night. Brad was definately feeling the heat in this kitchen.  
  
"We don't need to pick up any sugar for this kitchen, you're so sweet,' he grinned at her. To her, he looked like a little boy. He was so adorable.  
  
"Speak for yourself, Mr. Wonderful. I'm such a bitch!" She batted her eyes.  
  
"Oh, baby," he growled. Then, they broke down laughing. They could hardly believe the flirting going on in that kitchen. They had flirted with each other before, but this night, there was an electricity in the air that wasn't there before. It had been building up for the past few days.  
  
"Hold on, tiger. I've gotta go check on my other guests. You promise not to blow up my kitchen while I'm in there?" she asked him, flashing him her adorable lopsided grin.  
  
"I'd promise anything to anyone as adorable as you,' he said with a wink. Rich walked in just in time to see it. He cocked his head to the side quizzically. Sharon and Brad didn't notice.  
  
"Good, because if you burn down my apartment, I'm gonna move into yours." Sharon shot him a seductive look.  
  
"Well, in that case...." He smiled wickedly. Once again, the two of them broke down laughing like maniacs.  
  
"Did I miss something?" Rich asked with a smile.  
  
"Just brushing up on our flirting skills," Sharon told him with a meaningful look. Rich caught her meaning. This was her way of easing into things with Brad. "Why, do you want to borrow Brad for some of the same?' she asked playfully. Then evil laughter escaped from her lips as she saw the guys' reaction.  
  
"Not that there's anything wrong with that," Brad said, trying to cover his ass as far as political correctness was concerned. "It's just that Rich isn't exactly my type." He paused as a joke hit him. "Mikey, though...."  
  
"I wouldn't know about that," Rich said laughing. "I don't exactly look at my kid brother that way. But hey, maybe Alvin...."  
  
"You guys are horrible!" Sha chided. "I'm going into the living room. I promised Mikey a rematch at Final Fantasy."  
  
"I've never seen you guys flirt like that before," Rich commented after Sha left the kitchen.  
  
"I know," Brad smiled. "Man, I don't know what's gotten into us. It's like we're kids again..... Only this time, it seems like she's interested."  
  
"You finally gonna make your move?" Rich asked hopefully.  
  
"I dunno, bro. I think Imma test the water some more," Brad told his friend.  
  
"Don't wait till the water's too cold." Rich spouted off the analogy. As he tasted his spagetti sauce, Brad couldn't help but reflect upon all the insightful things Rich had said to him in the past couple of years.  
  
"Man, you've been like a brother to me all these years. I owe you so much," Brad said shaking his head.  
  
"Hey, all I ask is that you don't kill me and Mikey with that mess that you're cooking," Rich joked.  
  
Brad laughed. Then he asked Rich a question. "Do you think that Sha really does have feelings for me?"  
  
"There's not a doubt in my mind, bro," Rich said hoping that Brad would take him seriously, for once.  
  
***  
"Girl, you have tried on every dress that you own!" Chris told Sharon. She had been in Boston all of three days, and already she was plunged back into this saga's of Brad and Sharon.  
  
"Chris, this is important! I don't want to look like the naive kid I was when I left Duran and Anderson," Sharon said. "Besides, I also went to school with her.... I just have to show her that I've actually made something of my life." She paused. "These past couple of years with the band have been great, but I just need to show Missy that."  
  
"Sure, and the fact that Brad is taking you to this soiree has absolutely nothing to do with your newfound fashion crisis," Chris spouted off sarcastically. "Ate, trust me. Brad is gonna love you in anything you wear."  
  
"You sound just like Rich-- who you still have to meet, but the way," Sharon told her cousin.  
  
"Don't change the subject on me. You're doing this more to impress Brad than you are to impress your snobby acquaintances... and he's already hooked." Chris smiled, then said, "So, my advice is to go with the emerald green unless you want to play it safe. In that case, go with the black spaggetti."  
  
  
  
"Kid, a suit is a suit is a suit," Rich said in growing frustration. "Okay, you told me and Mikey to bring something sophisticated. Man, don't make me call your brother!'  
  
"Bro, I don't want to look like a thug in front of these people. This engagement party will be full of stuff shirts and I don't want to let Sharon down." Brad sounded so self-conscious.  
  
"Sharon would not have asked you to take her if she didn't think you were good enough. Damn! I can't believe that I'm having this discussion with you," Rich said, rubbing his temples. "You're like a teenage girl. This is the same ish that my kid sister Cassie goes through before a date. And you guys say that this isn't even a date!"  
  
The phone rang. Rich picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Brad, she's being a little difficult, you might want to pick her up a little later than planned," the voice on the other end of the line said.  
  
"This is Rich, Brad's a tad bit busy at the moment. Who is this?" Rich asked a tad bit confused.  
  
"I'm Chris, Sharon's cousin." Rich could hear the embarrassed laughter in the girl's voice.   
  
"Well, it's nice to finally talk to you. I've heard so many great things about you." When he didn't get a response, he continued. "So, Sharon's being as finicky as Brad is?"  
  
"Yeah, but at least she's narrowed it down to two outfits," Chris laughed. "Don't tell me that Brad's doing the same thing."  
  
"Nope, he's trying to choose between black, black, black, and black," Rich cracked. "So, he won't be ready any time soon."  
  
"Well, they'll get it together in time," Chris said absently. "They always do."  
  
"Rich, who's on the phone? Is Sharon cancelling?" Chris could hear the worry in Brad's voice.  
  
"No, actually it's Chris," Rich said with a smile. He covered the reciever, then said, "She's got a pretty voice, what does she look like again?"  
  
"She looks kinda like Rhona, but more filled out.... and she looks more prudish. Why?" Brad asked.  
  
"I was just curious. I think that she wants to talk to you," he told his friend as he handed him the phone. "Imma go look at the ties that Mikey brought over. You better make up your mind soon, or Imma pick the outfit out for you."  
  
While Rich was talking to his little brother, he wondered why Chris's voice was still ringing in his ears. It was as if there was a secret she was keeping. It was in the tone that she used. The funny thing was, that tone wasn't there when she thought it was Brad. That intrigued him. Rich always thought of himself as someone that anyone could be open with. He shrugged off his thoughts regarding Chris. It would probably be different when he saw her in person.  
  
Brad and Sharon finally solved their own individual fashion crises and wound up arriving at the party fashionably late. It was yet another one of their chaste dates which ended with a peck on the cheek. Neither of them was satisfied. Both went to bed with a sigh and feeling horny as hell.  
  
  
CHAPTER 10  
  
Chris was sitting in the living room of the apartment she now shared with Sharon. It was still a little surreal to her. She had finally broken off the chains that held her in California. Not that California was a bad place to be, it's just that the people there weren't so great. She had been living in Boston for a whole week, but she was too busy to realize that she was finally free from her parents. Tears of resentment began welling up in her eyes as she thought about them. She would have started sobbing had there not been a knock at the door.  
  
Upon opening the door, she found a tall, blonde guy, with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing an orange t-shirt and a pair of cargo khakis. She was too surprised to say anything.  
  
"Chris?" the young man asked.  
  
"Yes," she said shakily. Then she remebered that there were tears on her face. She quickly wiped them away.  
  
"Are you okay?" the guy asked.  
  
"I'm fine. I guess you could say that I was just bored to tears.... I was yawning," she told him.  
  
"Oh, well, I'm Rich. Sharon sent me to pick you up," he said.  
  
"That's right," Chris said as if she were suddenly remembering. "Sharon wanted to take me out with you guys later."  
  
"Well, are you ready to go or do you want me to wait?" Rich asked her. He looked her over. She wasn't skinny, but she definately wasn't chunky. He tried not to stare at her curves. So, he turned his attention back to her face. She had a lopsided smile much like Sharon's but Chris's looked a bit controlled. They had the same cute dimples.  
  
"No, I'm ready. Just let me grab my purse and glasses, and let me put on some shoes." Once again he heard the tone of restraint in her voice. "Well, let's go,' she said with a smile when she was ready. Her voice sounded much brighter. He wondered what that was all about.  
  
***  
"So, what do you think of Rich and Alvin?" Sharon asked Chris when they returned to the apartment.  
  
"Well, Alvin's nicer than I thought he would be, and I didn't see that arrogant attitude you described to me a while back," Chris said. "I did notice that he has this habit of staring into people. I was a bit disturbed by that, but that's about it."  
  
"What about Rich?" Sharon asked.  
  
"Rich is interesting," Chris said in a guarded tone. "He's friendly and funny. He seems like a very likable person." She also thought that there was more to Rich than met the eye. Since she wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, she decided not to say anything about it.  
  
Sharon caught the restraint in her cousin's voice. She smiled. Chris could be so cryptic sometimes. "Hmmmm," was all Sha said.  
  
"I didn't really talk to either of them. We were all too busy watching you and Brad flirting all afternoon," Chris said, making an easy segue. "The funny thing is, you guys treat it like one big joke-- and you're both head over heels. Why don't you just take the plunge and make a move?"  
  
"What do you mean, a date?" Sharon asked.  
  
"No, you guys have been 'dating' since you were 13." Chris saw the confused look on her cousin's face. "Okay, so none of them were romantic dates, but they were dates. You guys are way past that 'getting-to-know-you' period. What I'm talking about deals with physical contact."  
  
"Ahhhh. I've thought about it, believe me. There's just never really been a right time," Sharon sighed.  
  
"Because you never allow yourself any time alone with him!" Chris exclaimed. "Ate, if it's me that's holding you back, I'm a big girl. You can leave me here by myself for a night."  
  
"I don't want it to be contrived! I just want it to happen."  
  
"Who are you kidding, ate? You're not even on the pill! If you were planning on anything--"  
  
"Gosh, you don't have to put it in such indelicate terms!" Sharon colored. "And I am, too!"  
  
"Well, why don't you just do something about it!"  
  
"Like I said, I want it to just happen.... spontaneously." Sharon was blushing like a little schoolgirl.  
  
"Girl, it better happen soon. The sexual tension between the two of you has had a longer shelf-life than a fruitcake!'  
  
***  
"Is Chris always so guarded?" Rich asked Brad.  
  
"Chris, guarded?" Brad asked. "Wait, I see what you mean. Yeah, but only with people she doesn't really know. Why?'  
  
"I'm just curious," Rich said with a shrug. "I mean, one minute she's got this sad voice.... and the next she's covering with a bright and cheery voice....."  
  
"Okay," Brad said eyeing his friend curiously. Rich couldn't be interested in Chris? He probably wasn't.  
  
"So, when are you gonna make your move on Sha?" Rich asked feeling the sudden urge to change the subject.  
  
"When the time is right."  
  
"You've been saying that for years. There's no time like the present,' Rich said, amazingly pulling off the cliche. "Besides, you guys were exchanging some pretty hot comments today."  
  
"I know," Brad said with a devilish grin.   
  
"I take it that this is gonna happen soon?" Rich asked. He gave his friend a look to add meaning to his question.  
  
"We'll see."  
  
  
CHAPTER 11  
  
Brad showed up at Sha's door as the sun was setting. He held a basketball. He smiled to see that Sha was in sweats and a tank. She had obviously just taken a shower. It was almost as if she knew that he was coming. She smiled back. Sharon was pleasantly surprised by his unannounced arrival. She had just seen him a few hours before, but she was still elated.  
  
"Hey, you up for a twilight game of basketball on my roof?" he asked her.  
  
"Sure," she beamed. "But we both know you're gonna win. I haven't beaten you since we were kids. I mean, you're a whole foot taller than me."  
  
"So how about on the video-game court? Does that sound fair?"  
  
"Yeah, I think I can still whoop your ass on a digital court," she mused. She grabbed her keys, shut the door behind her, and they started walking.  
  
Several hours later, they were asleep on his couch. Sharon had won two games and let him win the next two. He knew that she let him win. He just smiled, ordered a pizza and asked her to watch a pay-per-view with him. Sleep was a result. In her sleep, Sharon had instinctively curled into him-- treating him as if he were her own personal cocoon.His natural response was to close his arms around her. So, she was in his arms, yet again.  
  
He woke to find the petite Sharon nested in his embrace. He smiled. It was as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be that way. He just rested his chin on the top of her head. He wanted her so badly. He sighed. How many times had he been in this position? She always innocently drove him crazy. If an award was given for self-restraint, he thought that he would be a top contender for it.  
  
She started moving restlessly in her sleep. The contentment in her dream was interrupted by visions of her Bradley fading to black. "No, don't leave me.... Brad please," she whimpered. Tears were streaming down her face in her sleep.  
  
He shook her awake. "Sha-sha," he said gently. "I'm here."She opened her eyes, but she couldn't stop crying. As she was wont to do when she was upset, she clung tightly to him. He lifted her chin. "You will never lose me." Much the same way he did when they were eight years old, he wiped away her tears. There was a request in her eyes-- more of a plea, actually, and he didn't miss it. He lowered his head to hers, and their lips met.  
  
His intent was to give her a chaste kiss, but she wouldn't let him get away with that. She opened her mouth slightly, and he didn't want to turn down her invitation. He gingerly traced just inside her lips with his tongue, but she moved up in order to deepen the kiss. He took the hint. So, what started as a chaste kiss turned into a deeply intimate union of their tongues and lips. If anyone had been there to witness this belated expression of their love, that person might have marveled at how these two made this simple act, this kiss, look like a religeous experience.  
  
His hands started cradling her head, then gradually moved down to softly caress her neck, cup her full breasts, and finally settle on her hips. Her hands lightly brushed through the hair at the scruff of his neck. Then, as the kiss deepened, her fingers combed through his hair, and she started gently tugging on it. Neither of them knew what was happening. It was just happening. She repositioned herself so that she was straddling him at the hips. Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.  
  
Sharon stripped Brad of his shirt moments before they reached the bed. She broke her lips away from his mouth and turned her attention to the spot where his shoulders met his neck. Her hands ran over the contours of his muscles on his chest and back. Then she ran her fingers lightly over and around his strong arms. He was going insane. A groan escaped his mouth as she started to nibble. He gently pulled her head away. "Do you really want to do this?" he asked her. Her eyes were full of emotion. She couldn't speak, so she just nodded. "I love you, you know that, right?" Once again, she nodded. She wanted to speak but all she could do was mouth the words, "I love you, too."  
  
In a few short moments, there was nothing separating them as their clothing had been relocated to a small pile on the floor. Sharon sighed as she savored the feel of his skin on hers. The texture of his skin was so wonderfully different from hers. It wasn't that it was rough-- it wasn't. He felt as comfortable as a Jersey sheet against her. Brad was also in euphoria. She was like a fluid against him. It was almost as if she was made of silk. He moaned as he felt her firm nipples on his chest. How many times had he fantasized about the feeling? Well, fantasy had nothing on reality.   
  
He started nibbling on her ear. A feeling of pure bliss shot straight through her body. Her suggestive moans urged him on. He kissed a trail to her mouth. That led to another sensuous kiss. Then, while they were deep into the kiss, he broke away and used his tongue to blaze a trail towards the valley between those rapturous peaks that he so desperately wanted to climb. She was on cloud nine because of the sweet torture that he was executing. Her moans were getting more and more intense. As he took one of her nipples in her mouth, she nearly came off the bed. She whimpered his name in a plea. His tongue was mocking her, and she couldn't bear the sweet agony any longer. He reached down into the wonderous chasm. The moisture that he felt there told him that she was ready to join him in order to create an amalgam of ecstacy, happiness, bliss, euphoria, and to become an entity that would be the progeny of love.  
  
She let out a cry of rapture as he entered her. He marveled at how she fit him like a second skin. It was as if they were made specifically for each other. Their feelings were too intense to control. He stopped thinking and let nature take over. The result was an explosive climax that inspired a perfect harmony in their voices. After the waves of white heat subsided, they were both left breathless, yet filled with complete satisfaction.  
  
****  
Chris was boucing off the walls. It was 9 am, and Sharon hadn't been home since 7pm the previous evening. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where she had been all night. How long had the Brad and Sha saga been going on? Chris laughed as she thought about the first time she realized that Brad was head over heels for Sharon.   
  
She was a 15 at the time, and they were 17. She was out with Sharon on one of few outings her parents allowed her to have. Brad was with her. That was no surprise. They were at the bookstore discussing the differences between Swiss cheese and American cheese. The ridiculousness of the whole situation was hilarious. While they were going over the consistency of the cheeses, Charles appeared out of nowhere. Sharon, having a serious attachment to the ugly boy, jumped up from where she was sitting to talk to the boy. Brad's face when she left said it all. He looked like someone had just knocked the wind out of him. Chris remembered thinking that Sharon was such a blockhead for chasing after Charles when Brad, her best friend (who just happened to be seriously HOT), was hopelessly in love with her. She remembered feeling more annoyed when Sha got with that asshole Lyle.  
  
Well, things were finally the way they were supposed to be now. Chris smiled and cracked the eggs. As she was scrambling, there was a knock at the door. Chris wondered who it could be, then remembered that it was Saturday and Rich was supposed to drop by to go jogging with Sha.  
  
"Is Sha ready?' he asked as she let him in.  
  
"Nope. Sha's not here, actually. She left last night with Brad and hasn't been home since,' Chris said beaming.  
  
"Nah, you're kidding!' Rich exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"I'm dead serious. Sha is still out with Brad," she told him. "You can wait here for her if you want."  
  
"Shit, you're really serious," he said, his eyes growing wide. Then, the look faded and was replaced by a look of mild self-satisfaction. "Well, it's about damn time!"  
  
"I know, huh?" she smiled. "They've been missing all the signals for years, and now they've finally got it right. I'm so excited. I know it's bad, but I want to hit Ate Sha-sha up of the details when she gets back."  
  
It was at this point that they heard the key turning in the doorknob. Rich smiled as he caught the schoolgirl's excitement in Chris's expression. It was one of the precious few times he caught her in an unguarded moment when he was alone with her.   
  
"Young lady, where have you been, and why haven't you called?" Chris asked Sha playfully as the door opened.  
  
Fueled by Chris's whimsicallity, Rich was mockingly serious as he said, "Sha, we had a running date. If you weren't gonna be able to make it, you should have given me some advanced notice."  
  
Sha, who's appearance was a bit disheveled, started to laugh uncontrollably. "You guys! I finally do what you guys what you wanted me to do, and you sound off on me?! I thought you were all for me and Brad-- uh-- spending more time alone together."  
  
"Sha, you know we're just messin'. I'm glad that you guys finally had the good sense to act on your feelings," Rich said, laughing. "Man, Brad's patience finally paid off." He paused for a moment, then, in order not to keep her feelings from being hurt, added, "Brad was really smart for waiting and hoping the way he did. Some things are just worth waiting for."  
  
"You're so sweet, kuya," Sha said smiling.  
  
"He knows tagalog?" Chris asked.  
  
"Just a few words and phrases," Rich responded.  
  
"Wow.... Well, I agree with Rich. You guys did take a long time to hook up, but what you guys will have is something that was definately worth the wait," Chris told her cousin.  
  
  
CHAPTER 12  
  
My head was spinning. So much happened in such a short amount of time. I think that I had always known how Brad felt about me, and I think that I have always been a little in love with him. I just didn't want to see it. The timing just wouldn't have been right. I can't imagine what things would have been like had we tried to change our relationship when these feelings first started to surface. Everyone I know says that long distance relationships almost never work out. How would we have survived the distance as two teenagers in high school. Then, there was college. There weren't as many miles separating us, but the milage between us was still something that would have been very detrimental to a prospective relationship. So, when I met Lyle, I put all my energy into making that relationship work. Lyle's presence in my life made me feel special. He was the first attractive man in my life to openly display an interest in me. That's not to say that I didn't notice the attention that Brad paid me, but I told myself that it was the history behind our friendship that created the type of chemistry present in our relationship.   
  
My relationship with Lyle was, to say the least, tumultuous. Things were great in the beginning. Lyle gave me what Brad couldn't. He gave me constant attention and he was physically present in my life. Sure, he was controlling, but I knew that I had a boyfriend. I was even touched by the occasional flashes of jealousy he displayed. After the constant rejection from Charles, I enjoyed the feeling of belonging to someone. Maybe it was pure stupidity on my part to view things from this perspective, but I needed to belong to someone. I knew that was something Brad wanted to give me, but I was too afraid of losing our friendship to an ill-fated long distance relationship. In my mind, my relationship with Lyle was a way to preserve my friendship with Brad-- at least in the beginning.  
  
I was dating Lyle for around six months before he even saw Brad. I told Lyle about him, and he knew of the excessive amount of time I spent talking to Brad. I guess he was okay with that because he classified the relationship under the "family" category. His attitude about our friendship changed when Brad appeared in California unexpectedly. I never showed Lyle any pictures of Brad. Lyle was under the impression that Brad was one of those plain guys.... one of those guys you call "everybody's brother." Needless to say, Lyle was very surprised to find that Brad was a post-pubescent adonis. There was a change in his temperament whenever Brad was around. He always seemed rather tense around him. I just attributed it to nervousness. Brad was, afterall, a stranger to Lyle. I never linked the tenseness to Lyle's occasional fits of jealousy.  
  
The shit hit the fan one night. I was late for something that Lyle and I had to do. I explained to him that Brad, who he knew was my best friend, was contemplating a life-changing decision. I had to be there for him. The history there bound us together. Lyle didn't believe me. He thought that I was cheating on him. He exploded, got violent, and things only got worse from there. He threatened to hurt Brad. At that point, he and Mia were the most important people in the world to me. I couldn't take the risk of Brad getting hurt, so I did everything that Lyle wanted me to do. I stayed as far away from Brad as I could. It was extremely difficult because there was always this force of gravity always binding us together. When I met Rich, it was like meeting the cool older brother that I was supposed to have been born with. Lyle also freaked at the naturally easy rapport that transpired between Rich and I. I had to distance myself from them. I had to distance myself from everyone. I couldn't run the risk of Lyle hurting anyone that I cared about.  
  
It was only when Rich found out about things with Lyle that the truth came out. I still didn't have the courage to leave Lyle, even with my family and friends rallying around me. They almost had to force me to move out of the apartment that I shared with Lyle. It got easier when I heard that Lyle was convicted of drunk driving in his home state. It was as if God's hand had interceded on my behalf. Lyle, for the most part, was no longer a roadblock in my relationships with other people. It still took me some years to deal with the issues left over from my relationship with him, but I was finally ready to move on. I could finally have the type of relationship with Brad that I was meant to have.  
  
***  
Mia was doing her shopping for college by herself. While standing in line at the register, she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. She turned around to see a man who looked very familiar to her. He was smiling at her. For some reason she was both comforted and repulsed by that smile. She racked her brain, but she couldn't place him. She knew that she knew him, but she didn't know who he was.  
  
"Little Mia?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes, do I know you?" she asked a bit warily.  
  
"Of course you do," he smiled. "Don't you remember? You used to call me 'uncle Lyle'."  
  
"Oh!" Mia's voice filled with enthusiasm. "I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?"  
  
"I've been pretty confined. I've been working for the government," he told her.  
  
"That sounds pretty cool," she smiled.  
  
"Not really," he said with a touch of bitterness. "It's not as glamorous as you may think."  
  
"Well, it was nice to see you again," Mia beamed. She felt a little guilty for enjoying this man's company since her auntie Sha had broken it off with this man years ago, but she shrugged it off. "I hope to see you again, soon."  
  
"Don't worry. You will."  
  
***  
"Hey sweetie!" Sharon murmured to Bradley as he walked up behind her and nuzzled her ear. "When do we leave for Los Angeles?"  
  
"Do we have to leave? Can't we just stay here in your apartment while Chris goes home for a visit?" Brad asked with a mock-pleading look. His hand wandered upward from her hips.  
  
"We haven't told ate Rhona and kuya Michael about us yet. I think we owe it to them to let them know in person," Sha said with a smile.  
  
"I know," he said, flashing a smirk. "We also have to tell our over-enthusiastic niece about us."  
  
"Yeah, Rich told me that she's been hoping we'd get together for quite a while," Sha said almost absently.  
  
"She wasn't the only one," Brad told her as he... nevermind.  
  
"Let me put the sock under the door for Chris," Sha said with a wicked little smile on her face.  
  
***  
Lyle was smiling as he walked into his new apartment. It was time for his little bitch to pay. She was off gallavanting with Brad and Rich all over the country. She thought she was home free. She thought that she and her beloved Brad could go on and be happy. She could have Brad. They deserved each other, but there is always a price to be paid. How happy would they be together knowing that the price they would have to pay would be the innocence of their precious little niece? How would they react then? Would Sharon sacrifice her niece for her Bradley? Would Brad be able to endure the guilt he would undoubtedly feel when he found out that he was the cause of Mia's pain? He was looking forward to finding out.  
  
  
CHAPTER 13  
  
"I hate my roommate!" a petulant Mia told her aunt and uncle. They were visiting her in her dorm room. "I thought that it was going to be cool, but she's-- arrrrrgggghhhhh!"  
  
"That great, huh?" smiled Brad.  
  
"We have a lot in common.... I don't really hate her..... It's just that she tends to overshadow me...... and I can't get any one on one time with any of the hallmates........ I can't connect with anyone because of her tendency to be overly social!..... And she's obnoxious but sweet at the same time. I hate her because I can't hate her!..... And people come into the room to look for her and not me!" At this point, Mia was pulling out her hair.  
  
"Feeling a little deprived of attention?" Sharon said, without a hint of patronization. "I had a roommate like that, too. Then, I just got out there and met people on my own."  
  
"Like Lyle?" Mia asked innocently. Brad's face darkened. Mia caught the change in his expression. "What's wrong uncle Brad?"  
  
"Nothing. I'm just a little tired from the flight." He smiled at his niece. Afterall, she didn't know the history behind Sharon and Lyle. Hers was an innocent question. "You'll figure it out sweetie. Just talk to your roommate and set some boundaries. It will work out."  
  
"So, you guys said you had some exciting news for me?" said Mia with a significant look.  
  
"Yeah. Babe, you want to tell her?" Sha gushed out the question.  
  
"Babe?" Mia asked with a glint in her eye.  
  
"Yup." Brad grabbed Sha's hand and pulled her close to him.  
  
"We're together now," Sha beamed. Then she tiptoed to give Brad a cute little chaste kiss. Mia was thrilled to the bone to finally see Brad and Sharon act on their love for each other.  
  
"It's about time! Do you know how long we've all waited for you two to finally get this right?"  
  
"Oh, if you were gonna be that way about it, we wouldn't have told you balasang!" Sha said, sounding like a valley girl.  
  
"It did take me a while to 'fess up, darl. I wouldn't be too hard on her," Brad told the petite Filipina.  
  
"I know! What took you so long? You should have said something back when we were in high school!"   
  
"Would you have gone out with me?" Brad asked giving her deadpan look.  
  
"No, but it would have helped things go a little more quickly," Sharon said, flashing her cute little dimples.  
  
"Ai-ya!" exclaimed Mia. "You guys finally got to this point, right? I think that's all that matters." There was a pause. "This sucks! My cousins are gonna be young enough to be my nieces and nephews!"  
  
"Excuse me! Who said anything about cousins? We just got together! We aren't even thinking about children!" Sharon said incredulously.  
  
"You don't want to have my children?" Brad asked teasingly. Sharon just gave him a look. "Later sweetie," he said to her under his breath.   
  
"You guys are just bad! I thought that the people on this hall were horny, look at the two of you!" Mia rolled her eyes. All three of them erupted in good-natured laughter.  
  
***  
Lyle watched as Brad, in a shoddy disguise of a fishing hat and glasses, walked out of the building with his arm around Sharon. His jaw tightened as he saw her kiss him. Sharon had used him all those years ago. For what, he didn't know. What he did know was that she never did love him. Her heart had always been the property of that wretched Bradley. When he realized that, it hurt. So he did the only thing he thought he could do. He tried to hurt her as badly as he had been hurt..... and then some. The pain still didn't go away. Even after years away from that horrible woman, his pain and anger was just as deep, if not, deeper.  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed Mia's number. He asked her to meet him at the pizza place at the commons. This was a regular occurence. As Mia was never able to see Sharon, Brad, or even Chris, she had no mentor in her life. So, when Lyle appeared out of nowhere offering his friendship, she saw it as something of a windfall. She jumped at the chance to have a mentor in her life. She was at the commons in a matter of minutes.  
  
"So, you saw your aunt Sharon today?" Lyle asked.  
  
"Yeah, she and my uncle Brad," she said, looking uncomfortable.  
  
"What's wrong? Didn't you want to see them?" Lyle prodded.  
  
"Yeah, but....."  
  
"You feel guilty because they're together now and you don't really want to show your happiness around me?"   
  
"That's exactly it! But how did you know that they're an item now? I didn't know until today," Mia said in a somewhat high-pitched tone.  
  
"I've known for a while, Mia. We do still have some mutual friends," he lied.  
  
"So, you're not upset? You've told me how you thought she was the one...."  
  
"No, I'm not upset. It's been years since I've seen your aunt. I'm over it."  
  
"Okay. So what did you call me down here for?" Mia asked him.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me to a concert. You told me that your music professor requires you to go to five concerts during the quarter. I happen to have an extra ticket...."  
  
"I'd love to go!" Mia exclaimed. "That saves me all the trouble of finding a ride and buying a ticket. Thanks!"  
  
Mikey was walking out of one of the restaurants. He was planning on dropping in on Mia. He was met by the friendly little scene between Mia and Lyle. He was somewhat surprised to see this because the last he heard, Lyle was out of Sharon's life. He didn't know much about the breakup, but he knew that his brother and Brad hated Lyle with a passion. He thought about walking up to Mia, but there was something that stopped him. He thought that it would be better to meet her up at the dorms.  
  
Mia caught sight of him as he was turning the corner. She was perplexed that Mike would pass her without greeting her. Was he only friendly to her around Brad? Mikey knew that he was really important to her. Why should he blow her off? Then, it hit her. Rich and her uncle Brad never thought much of Lyle. He must have just stayed away out of loyalty to them. She decided to cut things short with Lyle.  
  
"Sorry, Lyle. I've gotta go. I'm supposed to meet Mikey," she told the older man. "I hope you understand."  
  
"Now, Mikey is Rich's little brother?" Lyle asked with a smile that could almost be described as evil.  
  
"Yes," Mia said uncomfortably. "Thank you for inviting me. When is this?"  
  
"One week from today," Lyle shouted to Mia as she took off. His jaw clenched as she broke into a sprint. He remembered how Sharon had always done that whenever Brad was near. She left him just as quickly. He marveled at how Mia carried on that love-sick legacy.  
  
  
Mia ran across the grassy knoll and across the street. For some reason, she wanted to get to Mikey as fast as humanly possible. She supposed that it was because she didn't get to spend much time with him. Mikey was, afterall, like a big brother to her. As much as she enjoyed Lyle's company, she craved Mikey's presence. Her look of determination transformed into a smile as she reached her building.  
  
"Was that Lyle I saw you with at the commons?" Mikey asked her when Mia walked into the lobby.  
  
"Yeah, isn't it cool how he appeared in my life after all these years?" Mia responded.  
  
"I dunno. Rich and Brad seem to hate him a lot. I don't know what to think," Mikey said uncertainly.  
  
"Well, whatever. So, what do you have planned for us today?"  
  
"How about a game of pool?" Mikey said with the enthusiasm of a little boy.  
  
"Sure. I'll take you to the rec room." She grinned at the rather tall young man. "I want you to meet Mark anyways."  
  
"Who's Mark?" Mikey asked, cocking his head to the side.  
  
"He's my assistant resident advisor."  
  
"And you've got a crush on him!" Mikey teased.  
  
"I do not..... that's like saying that I've got a crush on my uncle Brad," Mia said with a look of pure disgust. However, a tinly little blush crept up her cheeks. When Mikey saw that, conflicting emotions started fighting within him. He didn't know whether to be happy or jealous. Wait. Why would he be jealous? Her blush was probably one of anger-- not that it mattered to him.  
  
"Just clowning, little Mia," Mikey conceded. Smiling, they walked into the rec room.   
  
All the while, Lyle was watching them from a distance trying to decipher whether Mia had told Mike about him. As they were smiling, he came to the conclusion that she didn't. It was a shame that that girl had to pay for her aunt and uncle's mistakes. It really did warm his heart how she adored him. He might have been this girl's uncle had Brad not been such a dominant road-block in his relationship with Sharon. Mia was a younger version of Sharon only she wasn't tainted. The girl didn't have it in her to betray anyone. In another time or another place, he might have fallen in love with this girl. However, sympathy was an emotion that he couldn't afford to have. In order to avenge himself, he was going to have to hurt that little girl.  
  
  
CHAPTER 14  
  
Mikey couldn't sleep. Seeing Mia with Lyle that afternoon bothered him. There was a reason that his brother and Brad hated the guy, and he had a feeling that it wasn't just because Brad had always been in love with Sha. Sharon's hotel room was just next door. Maybe it was time to have a little chat with her. Brad and Rich were out talking to Michael Maschetti. It was the perfect time to talk to Sha. Afterall, Mia didn't tell him to keep the fact that he saw Lyle a secret.  
  
"Mikey, do you know what time it is?" Sha asked him.  
  
"Yeah, but this is kinda important," Mikey said.   
  
"What is it?" Sharon asked pulling Mikey into the room.  
  
"I need to know why Rich and Brad hate Lyle so much." There it was. He laid it out point blank, and the question shocked her.  
  
"What's all this about?" Sha asked unsteadily.  
  
"I saw him a while ago," Mikey said flatly. "He was with some girl that I knew."  
  
"Tell that girl to stay the hell away from the bastard," Sharon spat out.  
  
"Why?" Mikey asked with a sense of urgency. "What is so bad about Lyle?' At this point, Sharon explained to little Mikey Cowley the type of relationship that she had with Lyle. She explained that Rich was the one that found out. She also told him how his brother found out. Mikey figured that it was probably the reason why Rich, the most forgiving person that he knew, hated Lyle so much. Hell, Mikey didn't even see what happened, and he still felt like beating the guy to a pulp. And Mia was involved with the guy? He knew that he had to speak up about what he had seen earlier.   
  
"I think that there's something I should tell you," Mike said, almost reluctantly.  
  
"You want to tell me who the girl is?"  
  
"Yeah..... Look, since this is something that you're probably gonna take pretty hard, Imma just spit it out. It was Mia."  
  
The look of fear on Sharon's face made Mike deathly afraid. Sha didn't go into much detail when she told him that Lyle had been violent during their relationship, but that look made the situation more real to him. A sudden, overriding need to protect Mia surfaced within Mike. This must have been what his brother felt all those years ago. Sharon couldn't do anything but collapse the suite's sofa. Wordlessly, the young Mikey sat down next to his surrogate older sister and held her until she finally drifted off to sleep. Not knowing what to do after Sha was asleep, he slipped across the hall to his own room.  
  
***  
Sharon walked out of her car and looked at the innocuous looking bungalows that stood in front of her. The events of the previous night were still with her. Little Mikey Cowley told her that her niece was in danger. Since then, it felt like the weight of the world was crushing her. She needed Brad, but when he finally came back that night she couldn't tell him. All she could do was lose herself in him. He knew something had happened, but he didn't press the subject. He just gave her what she wanted.... what she needed. Thinking about the experience, she felt safe, loved, and very protected.  
  
She walked up to the door with the number that matched the number on the piece of paper that she held. She didn't know if she was strong enough for this confrontation. God, it was so like Lyle to force this. She could kill him for using Mia the way he was. If he disturbed one hair on her nieces head, she would castrate him like the dog he had proven himself to be. She knocked on the door.  
  
"I thought you would eventually come to see me, I just didn't expect you to come over so soon," Lyle said without so much as a 'hello.'  
  
"Lyle, what are you doing?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? A smart woman like you should be able to reasonably infer that I'm giving back as good as I got. Brad tainted something that was precious to me, now I'm--"  
  
"You touch a hair on that girl's head and I'll..." Sharon began.  
  
"You'll what? Your niece is not a little girl anymore. She can make her own decisions. It doesn't really matter what you say now. You haven't been there for her for the past couple of years. Why do you think she likes spending time with me? I actually listen to her. Her favorite aunt and her favorite uncle..... well, they're too absorbed in each other to pay much attention to her."  
  
"Don't lecture me! You don't have that right anymore. You also don't have the right to mess with Mia that way. You can't make her think you care about her and then--"  
  
Lyle's face went from a passive expression to an expression of pure anger. "Shut up. You used me. You made me think that you cared about me more than anyone else in this world. Then, your precious Bradley appeared."  
  
"Fine, that's true. I didn't want to admit to myself how I felt about Brad back then, so I started something with you. But I honestly did care about you back then."  
  
"Don't give me your condescending bullshit. Do you have any idea how much you hurt me?" he asked her.  
  
"As I recall, you evened out the score a long time ago! Why the hell do you have to mess with Mia? Why do you have to go and make her think that you actually want to be her mentor? Why didn't you just come after me? I'm the one who hurt you!" she shouted.  
  
"No, I'm the one he hates," Brad's voice came from behind her. "Isn't that right, Lyle?"  
  
"Oh, here comes the knight in shining armor." Lyle's voice was riddled in sarcasm.  
  
"What...? How...?" was all that Sha could say.  
  
"Mikey told us. I figured that you'd come here," he said, protectively wrapping his arms around her. To Lyle, he said, "What the hell are you trying to accomplish with our niece?"  
  
"You, of all people, know how Sharon's into her self-sacrificial bullshit. She'd do anything to protect the whole lot of you. She'd give up her job, give up love..... she'd give up her life just to keep me away from you," Lyle said. His voice stated out contemtuous, but towards the end it almost broke. "She loves you that much."  
  
"You still love me?" Sharon asked incredulously. All the while, she held on to Brad's hand as if the world was ending.  
  
"Ambivalence, darling. I feel nothing but ambivalence towards you. You have always been, to me, that malignant tumor that I could never bring myself to get rid of," Lyle told her, trying to regain his composure.  
  
"Why can't we just end it here, Lyle? Why can't we just part even?" Sha asked him.  
  
"Because it will always hurt. You ask your Brad, here, how many times you've hurt him. Howmany times has he had to watch you walk away from him? Every time you did that you drove a knife into his heart. That's what it was like for me."  
  
"I have to give him that, Sha. It hurt like hell," Brad said. Then he turned to Lyle. "But, I never once struck her. I never once tried to intimidate her."  
  
"It's already been established that you're a much better man than I ever will be. I just want her to know what it's like to have one's heart ripped out of the body and have it stompped on."  
  
"Don't you think you've done enough to her?" Brad paused. "No, forget that. Do you really want to hurt Mia? She's done nothing to you."  
  
"My intention was never to hurt Mia. My intention was to force you to deal with loss," Lyle felt like he was about to crack. "Look, if both of you just go now, I give you my word that I'll never bother your set again." Sharon and Brad stood there in silence. "JUST GO!" Lyle shouted at them.  
  
Sharon and Brad got into their cars and drove away thinking about how unbelievably easy that confrontation was. It was almost too good to be true. The funny thing was, they believed Lyle. It was the first time in a long time that Sharon had seen Lyle's human side. For the first time, Brad understood Lyle's reasons. He still hated the guy with a passion, but he no longer felt the need to kill him. Any walls between Sha and Brad that were left standing even after they had gotten together had just been torn down.  
  
  
CHAPTER 15  
  
Lyle was true to his word. He quietly ducked out of Mia's life. None of them heard from or of him since then. Mia was a little dissappointed, but for very long. She again had the support of her aunt and uncle, who never neglected to call her after their confrontation with Lyle.There was also Mike, who saw a surprising change in the girl. This surprised him because, in the past, he had only ever seen her as 'that little pest.' Now, he felt that her friendship was something of value. Besides, she could tell him about the inner workings of the young female mind. His little sister, Cassie, was great, but she was his sister. Besides, Mia was older.  
  
"It looks like things are falling into place as far as our love-birds are concerned," Chris cracked. "It's only a matter of time before they start making announcements."  
  
"Hmmmm," commented Rich. "That sounds like something I've heard this week..... Wait, I was the one that said it."  
  
"Tsk," was all Chris would say.  
  
"What a little Chrissy!" Rich said in mock frustration.  
  
While this was going on, Mike was on the phone with Mia. "What's that I hear in the background?" asked Mia.  
  
"Just your aunt Chris and my brother being themselves again," Mike responded.  
  
"Haha! I know what you mean. My auntie's only like that because she likes Rich..... And was it you who told me that Rich likes her?"  
  
"Yeah, he does," Mikey said smiling.  
  
"Ha! I bet that they're little romance will be as interesting, if not, more so than auntie Sha's and uncle Brad's," Mia said grinning.  
  
"I bet you're right."  
  
***  
Brad was sitting in the recording studio, dreaming away his down time. He and Sharon had been dating for a while now. He couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else. Sure, he'd been with other girls, but none of them lasted very long. Now that things were finally falling into place for them, he started thinking about the future. There was only one logical step left to take in the relationship.  
  
"Yo yo yo, Bradley!" a high tenor voice came from behind him. "Gillis is back in da house!"  
  
"Hey! What're you doing back here?" Brad asked smiling.  
  
"I'm here to see you. I hear that you've finally landed the girl of your dreams."  
  
A serene expression descended over his Italian features. "Yep, I did. She's actually coming pretty soon."  
  
"It'll be great to see that girl again," Brian said. There was a pause. "It'll be especially great to finally see her happy and where she belongs."  
  
"Hehehehe! Thanks for the compliment, bro," Brad said with his characteristic quiet restraint.  
  
"So, what were you daydreaming about when I came in?" Brian asked him.  
  
"What did I usually daydream about when you were still with us? Not much has changed since then," Brad told him. "Only now, instead of sex, I'm dreaming about a family...... they could be tied together, couldn't they?"  
  
"You planning on asking the girl to marry you?" Brian asked.  
  
Brad just gave him a look. Brian smiled. He wished his friend the best of luck, and Sharon came in the door with Rich. "Brad, are you ready to go?" Sharon asked in an unsteady voice. It was hard to tell whether she was going to laugh, cry, or erupt in a combination of the two. She had been doing a lot of that lately. It made Rich wonder. Chris had been the same way lately. He wondered if something had happened to the family.  
  
"Hey, I haven't been gone that long? Did you forget who I am?" Brian asked her.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Brian?!" She ran towards him and hugged him. "It's been so long!"  
  
"I know. Things changed on me, girl," said Brian. "I hear you and Brad are now in a serious relationship. When did this happen?"  
  
"A while ago. We would have told you, but you weren't around," Sharon said, utilizing her little pout.  
  
They stood like that for a while, four old friends catching up on times past. Brian Gillis found out how Sharon wound up working with the band. Gillis told Sha that she should have joined Structure's staff before he bequeathed his spot to Alvin. He might, perhaps, have expediated the development of her relationship with Bradley. He heard her cutesy rendition of how she and Brad finally "figured things out." He would later get the male point of view from Brad. Rich told him how Chris was working on their promotions team. As Rich described Chris, Brian eyed him suspiciously. Apparently, the Maschetti boys weren't the only ones who were helpless in regard to the Nicolas women. To him, it looked like Rich had a little crush on Sha's cousin. Maybe he was wrong, but the way Rich was talking about Chris, he had to wonder. He shot a look towards Sha and Brad. Brad smiled in response. Sha just shrugged. They figured that it was an epic to contemplate at a later date. Right now, the only thing that they could concentrate on was the resolution of their own romance. Brian laughed. There was one thought going through his mind, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  
  
  
CHAPTER 16  
  
Brad was pacing. It wasn't something he was wont to do, but he had a lot on his mind. Tonight was the night. A smile broke out on his face as images of Bernstien's song "Tonight" from WEST SIDE STORY flashed in his brain. He had to be nervous. Afterall, there was musical theater playing in his mind. He had a right to be nervous. He was finally asking the love of his life to marry him. As he thought over it, the impact of that concept hit him. He was going to ask Sharon Nicolas to become Sharon Nicolas-Maschetti. The amazing part was that there was a good chance that she was going to answer "yes." He planned it out meticulously. They were touring again, but, as events would have it, they were once again in Los Angeles. As a Christmas gift to Mia, he and the guys were going to put on a free concert at her campus. That was where he was going to ask her. He figured that it wouldn't hurt to have the support of a crowd. Hell, he'd even enlisted the help of almost everyone he knew.  
  
Michael Maschetti elbowed Rich and they chuckled. Brad was pacing like a madman. He was also sweating like a pig. Michael could remember the first time he realized that his little brother was in love with the girl. He remembered that back then, Brad was also sweating profusely but for less noble reasons. That wasn't to say that Brad wasn't in love with the girl. There were just certain urges that hadn't yet been expunged. Michael laughed. The Brad that was pacing in front of him now didn't seem much different from the teenage Brad that he once had to lead to the bathroom all those years ago.  
  
Rich looked over at Chris. She was standing with Rhona gushing over memories. What was it about the Nicolas girls that was so special? Rich knew that there had to be this quality to them that just drew human males towards them. He could see it in Chris. No, he wasn't falling for Carissa Nicolas. Falling for her would just draw him into this complicated world that Bradley had been submersed in for so many years. Granted, the end result was something worth waiting for. It wasn't that Rich thought that Chris wasn't worth waiting for..... but why was he thinking about this crap anyways? This was Brad's day. For Brad's sake, Rich hoped that he got all the words down for the song-proposal that Bradley meticulously planned out. He started humming the tune.   
  
Chris flashed Rich a smile. She thought that it was wonderful that the guys were helping Brad with his a capella proposal. Rich went out of his way to memorize the Tagalog lyrics. Alvin did also, but not as fervently as Rich did. Chris had gotten to know the guys a little better in the nine months that she had spent with Sharon. With her background in advertising, it wasn't hard to fit her into the management team. So, she wound up working closely with the guys and Sharon. More specifically, she wound up working more closely with Rich. Quite frankly, his cutesy and insane humor got on her nerves. Although, at the same time, she found it..... well, cute. Rich raised his eyebrows at her smile, and she rolled her eyes.  
  
Sharon walked into the room with her clipboard in hand. To her, everything was business as usual. To everyone else, it was as if a spotlight had been shone on the poor girl. Everyone's eyes turned towards her. As was typical of her, she didn't notice all of the eyes that were on her. She walked up to her boyfriend, put her arm around his waist, and turned to Rich, Alvin and the members on her staff.  
  
"It's showtime," she stated, simply. Then, she whispered to Brad, "You'll do great. I love you." Those words gave Brad the confidence he needed to get out on the stage and proceed with his plans. With that, he planted a kiss on the petite Filipina's lips and headed out with Rich and Alvin. An entourage compiled of the band's staff and the staff of the residence halls escorted them to the outdoor stage.   
  
Sharon smiled as she watched the boys get into the performance. It made her giggle to see how enthused the crowd was that night. There seemed to be a certain electric charge in the air. She loved it. Her responsibilities seemed to have miraculously lessened. She didn't question the respite, though. She let herself relax and enjoy the show. Towards the end of what she thought was the last song, Brad looked at her, put his hand on his heart and then held out to her. She smiled and blew him a kiss.  
  
"Yo, how many romantics do we got here tonight?" Rich asked the crowd when the song was over. He got a huge response from the crowd. "That's good, 'cuz my man Bradley's got something planned for tonight, and we want you to bear wid 'im."  
  
"We're gonna let the band take five, and Brad's gonna take lead vocals," Alvin added.  
  
"So, we're gonna ask Brad's babygirl to come out on stage and sit on this stool here," Rich said. At this point, the crowd was going crazy. Sharon didn't know how to digest the situation. She just stood, paralyzed, where she was. "Sharon Nicolas, would you come out here please?" Rich asked.  
  
Sha came out and did as she was told. "Sha, I want you to know how I feel about you. So, I got the guys to help me out. We'd like to sing something for you."  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, we give you our rendition of 'Dahil Sa Iyo,'" Rich told the audience. That said, Brad led the guys in a touching rendition of the Filipino love song. He ended the song on his knees in front of Sha.  
  
"Sharon Nicolas, I've loved you since we were kids. I will love you for the rest of my life." Brad pulled out the ring. "I promise you that you will have my heart forever. Sha-sha, will you marry me?" In response to the question, the females in the crowd said, "Awwwwwwww."   
  
There were tears in Sharon's eyes. She took Brad's face in her hands and said, "I'm in love with you. Of course I'll marry you." Then, he slipped the ring on her finger, picked her up, and kissed her.  
  
While Brad and Sha were making-out on stage, Rich gave the crowd a brief translation of the song. "This song is basically about all the darkness dissappearing from this guy's life because the woman he loves took all of that away. It took these two a while to get together. Man!" Rich shook his head. Then, he turned to the happy couple. "Bro, we got a show to finish. Can you tear yourself away from the girl for this last song?"  
  
"Let's give it up for Brad and Sharon!" Alvin shouted to the crowd. In response, the crowd started cheering wildly. After the cheering died down, they guys finished their show, and all went home happy. All concerned knew that most of Brad and Sha's biggest problems were behind them. All they had to do now was ride on the windfall of happiness that was meant for them. These two had nothing but hope and promise left in their future.   
  
*****  
".... Dahil sa iyo  
Ako'y lumigaya  
Pagmamahal  
Ay alayan ka  
Kung tunay man ako  
Ay alipinin mo  
Ang lahat sa buhay ko'y  
Dahil sa iyo"  



End file.
